OUR- HEROES 

UNITED  BRETHREN 
HOME -MISSIONARIES 


D  ENOMINATlONAt  M ISSION 

•   Study  Course  • 


■■Mi 


tihraxy  of  ^e  theological  ^tminaxy 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


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PRESENTED  BY 

Rufus  K.    LeFevre 

;2'.A1W4 


RUFUS  H.  LEFEVEB 


PHILIP  WILLIAM  OTTERBEIN 


MAY  2\  i^-- 


DENOMINATIONAL  MISSION 
STUDY  COURSE 


OUR  HEROES 

OR 

United  Brethren  Home 
Missionaries 


W.  M.  WEEKLEY,  D.D. 

Bishop  of  Welt  District 

H.  H.  FOUT,  D.D. 

Editor  Sunday-School  Literatare 


Imtroduction  by 

J.  P.  LANDIS,  Ph.D.,  D.D. 

Dean  Union  Biblical  Seminary 


UNITED  BRETHREN 

HOME  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY 

Q04  U.  B.  Building 

Dayton,  Ohio 


Copyright  190S,  by 

United  Brethren  Home  Missionary  Society 

Dayton,  Ohio 


jForetoorD 


It  has  noc  been  our  aim,  in  the  preparation  of  the  fol- 
lowing chapters,  to  give  a  connected  history  of  the 
Church,  but  rather  to  present  briefly  the  lives  of  a  few 
of  the  heroes  who  wrought  so  nobly  in  the  early  days 
of  the  various  conferences  named. 

Very  much  that  the  book  contains  never  appeared  in 
print  before.  This,  no  doubt,  will  interest  the  reader; 
and  the  Church  at  large,  we  are  sure,  will  appreciate 
the  fact  that  so  much  historical  data  have  been  gathered 
up  and  put  into  permanent  form.  A  few  years  more, 
with  others  of  the  landmarks  removed,  and  no  little  of 
this  would  have  been  lost  beyond  recovery. 

Our  task  has  been  both  pleasant  and  difficult.  Pleas- 
ant, because  in  studying  pioneer  achievements  we  were 
constantly  in  communion  with  the  brave  and  good,  and 
experienced  the  thrill  of  a  new  purpose  in  our  own  lives; 
difficult,  owing  to  the  fact  that  but  few  of  our  missionary 
frontiersmen  kept  a  diary,  or  received  extended  notice 
through  the  Telescope,  or  other  publications.  Some  of 
whom  we  have  written  deserve  a  much  fuller  notice 
than  we  were  able  to  give  them. 

When  we  began  to  survey  the  field  of  heroes,  it  soon 
became  apparent  that  we  could  not,  in  our  limited  space, 
mention  all  who  had  been  prominent  in  carving  out  the 
foundations  on  which  those  who  followed  them  were  to 
build.  Many  whose  names  do  not  appear  were  and  are 
worthy  in  every  respect.  Be  it  far  from  any  of  us  to 
covet  their  crowns. 

The  reader  will  observe  that  east  of  the  Mississippi 
River  reference  is  made  only  to  the  fathers  who  have 
gone  from  us,  while  in  the  West  several  who  are  still 
living  receive  notice.  In  the  older  and  more  densely  pop- 
ulated portions  of  the  Church  the  number  meriting  recog- 
nition, of  course,  is  much  larger  than  in  newer  sections. 
The  period  covered  in  the  East  reaches  back  more  than 
a  century.  In  the  West,  Iowa  excepted,  the  Church  was 
not  known  prior  to  1850.  Some  of  the  fields  now 
occupied  by  us  were  only  entered  in  recent  years,  hence 
many  of  the  preachers  who  were  first  on  the  ground,  and 


7.r 


who  sacrificed  and  suffered  most  in  establishing  United 
Brethrenism,  are  still  living.  To  refuse  these  noble, 
consecrated  men  the  recognition  they  deserve  would  be 
unjust.  "Honor  to  whom  honor  is  due"  has  been  our 
motto. 

Since  undertaking  this  work,  however,  we  have  decided 
to  publish  another  volume,  and  a  third,  if  need  be,  in 
order  to  include  at  least  the  more  prominent  among  the 
Church's  pioneers.  In  fact,  a  part  of  the  material  for 
another  and  similar  publication  is  already  in  our  hands. 
This  statement  is  made  not  only  to  the  Church  at  large, 
but  especially  to  assure  the  brethren  who  have  kindly 
furnished  us  personal  reminiscences,  and  other  informa- 
tion, that  ere  long  what  they  have  written  will  be  used. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  exceedingly  that  in  some  cases  no 
record  of  any  kind  was  kept.  Many  an  earnest,  success- 
ful toiler  in  the  vanguard  of  the  Church  has  quietly  and 
almost  unnoticed  dropped  out  of  the  ranks  in  obedience 
to  the  death  summons,  and  sleeps  at  present  in  an  un- 
marked grave.  No  printed  page  tells  the  story  of  his  useful 
life.  Those  who  constitute  the  Church  to-day,  with  few 
exceptions,  do  not  know  that- such  heroes  ever  lived.  We 
must  be  content  with  the  thought  that  all  is  written  in 
God's  book. 

Our  purpose  in  preparing  and  publishing  this  volume 
has  been  to  present  to  the  Church,  and  especially  to  her 
young  people,  such  a  picture  of  our  heroes  and  their 
achievements  as  will  lead  to  a  larger  appreciation  of  their 
work,  and  inspire  to  a  more  ardent  love  and  zealous  service 
for  the  Church  under  whose  banner  they  toiled  as  pioneer 
missionaries  and  nation  builders. 

We  owe  a  debt  of  acknowledgment  and  gratitude  to 
friends  in  various  sections  of  the  country  who  have  so 
kindly  and  generously  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  this 
volume  by  gathering  and  furnishing  material. 

If  the  perusal  of  what  is  here  presented  shall  lead  to 
a  larger  study  of  the  Church's  work,  and  at  the  same 
time  broaden  the  reader's  conception  of  home  mission 
work  in  its  true  relation  to  the  universal  spread  of  the 
truth,  we  will  be  satisfied. 

AUTHORS. 


Contents 

Chapter  Pf^OC 

I.     Genesis  of  the  United  Brethren  Ciiurx'ii..     11 

II.     The  Saint  Paul  of  the  Church 20 

Christian  Newcomer. 

III.     Pioneer  Missionaries  in   Ohio 33 

Andrew     Zeller — George     Benedum — Joseph 
Hoffman — Henry  Kumler,  Sr. 

lY.     First  Missionary  in  Indiana 11 

John  George  Pfrimmer. 

V.     First  English-Speaking  Missionary 56 

John  Calvin  McXamar, 

VI.     First  Missionary  to  the  '"Black  Swamp".  ..     63 
Jacob  Baulus. 

VII.     "The  Old  Man  Eloquent''  73 

William  Davis. 

VIII.     A  Pioneer  Missionary  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania         81 

Jacob  Kitter. 

IX.     A  Missionary   Hero   in   the   "V/estern   Re- 
serve"        96 

Alexander   Biddle. 

X.     Leader  of  the  Advance  Guard  to  Oregon  . .   107 
Thomas  Jefferson  Connor. 

XI.     First  Missionary  to  Michigan 118 

Stephen  Lee. 

XII.     First  Missionary  to  Tennessee 129 

John  Kuebush. 

XIII.     Founder  of  the  "Home,  Frontler,  and  For- 
eign  ISIissionary   Society'" Ill 

John   Collins   Bright. 

XIV.     A  Pioneer  in  Missionary  and  Educational 

Work    151 

Jacob  Bruner  Resler. 

XV.     A  Hero  of  Lower  WxVbash  Conference 160 

Walton  Claybourne  Smith. 

XVI.     Leader    and    Organizer  of    Work    in  West 

Virginia  171 

Zebedee  Warner. 

V 


-    Chapter  Page 

XVI J.     Our  Heroes  in  Iowa  ]81 

John  Burns — A.  A.  Sellers — John  Everhart. 

XVIII.     Our  Heroes  in  Iowa — (Continued) 192 

D.      M.      Harvey — Abner     Corbin  —  George 
Miller. 

XIX.     Early   Minnesota   Workers 205 

'     .  Edmund  Clow — J.  W.  Fulkerson. 

XX.     The  Work  in  Missouri 213 

M.  Bratcher. 

XXI.     Kansas  Pioneers   221 

William  A.   Cardwell — S.      S.      Snyder — 
Josiah    Terrell. 

XXII.     Trying  Times  Among  Kansas  Pioneers 231 

G.  M.  Huffman— John  K.  Meredith. 

XXIII.  Other  Kansas  Pioneers 238 

J.  R.  Evans— J.  R.  Chambers — R.  W.  Parks 
— F.  P.  Smith— C.  U.  McKee. 

XXIV.  Pioneers  in  Colorado 254 

XXV.     Pio]SfEERs  IN  Nebraska   262 

William  P.  Caldwell— Elijah  W.  Johnson- 
George  Fembers. 

XXVI.     Brave  Men  in  California  273 

Israel  Sloan — David  Thompson — B,  B.  Allen 
— J.   Dollarhide. 

XXVII.     Brave  Men  in  California — (Continued)..     '^82 
Daniel  Shuck— C.  W.  Gillett. 

XXVIII.    Pioneer  Workers  in  Oregon 099 

J.  Kenoyer— C.  C.  Bell. 

XXIX.     Columbia  River  Conference  Heroes 305 

William     Daugherty — Washington   Adams — 
J.   S.  Rhoads. 

XXX.     First  Workers  in  Oklahoma 315 

J.  M.  Linsey — D.  L.  Doub — J.  H.  Darr. 

XXXI.     Our  Debt  to  the  Pioneer 326 

XXXII.     The  Harvest   33O 


SntroDuction 


It  is  a  very  auspicious  omen  that  the  churches  are 
beginning  to  study  in  a  somewhat  systematic  way  the 
great  work  of  missions.  Many  benefits  will  result  from 
this.  First,  it  will  inevitably  bring  many  persons  to  a 
clearer,  truer  conception  of  what  the  Church  is  and  what 
it  is  for.  Many  seem  to  regard  it  as  a  religious  club  which 
does  not  even  exact  of  its  members  the  usual  club  obliga- 
tions. It  is  respectable  and  probably  even  advantageous 
to  belong  to  church,  for  this  may  serve  as  a  voucher  of 
good  character  and  add  to  business  patronage. 

Others  seem  to  regard  the  church  as  a  vehicle  and  the 
members  as  passengers  to  be  comfortably  and  safely  con- 
veyed from  this  world  to  the  heavenly  mansions. 

All  these  enter  the  church  from  selfish  motives,  simply 
for  their  own  good,  with  an  eye  to  their  temporal  and 
eternal  advantage,  trying  to  curry  favor  in  this  way  with 
the  Almighty. 

But  the  mission,  aim,  and  end  of  the  church  are  to  con- 
quer the  whole  world  for  Christ.  Buddhism,  Confucianism, 
Hinduism,  Mohammedanism,  and  all  other  false  religions 
are  to  be  displaced  by  Christianity.  Pantheism,  ration- 
alism, materialism,  atheism,  and  agnosticism  are  to  be 
overthrown;  intemperance,  gambling,  unchastity,  oppres- 
sion, tyranny,  covetousness,  dishonor,  dishonesty,  and 
cruelty  are  to  be  done  away.  Is  not  this  a  large  program? 
Until  this  is  done,  the  kingdom  of  God  or  kingdom  of 
heaven  cannot  be  established  in  the  earth,  wherein  the 
will  of  God  is  done  as  it  is  in  heaven. 

Now,  the  church  is  nothing  if  not  missionary.  Her  very 
spirit  and  genius  are  missionary.  It  is  necessary  to  see 
and  feel  this  before  we  shall  have  the  wish,  the  will,  the 
enthusiasm,  the  energy  to  make  good  that  great  final  com- 
mand of  our  Lord,  "Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of 
all  the  nations."     The  study  of  missions  will  largely  con- 


tribute  to  this,  until  we  shall  take  an  optimistic  pride  in 
the  marvelous  achievements  of  the  truth  of  which  the 
church  is  the  custodian  and  the  propagator.  The  regenera- 
tion of  whole  tribes,  as  also  of  individual  sinners,  witnesses 
to  the  divinity  of  our  religion. 

The  effects  of  Christian  truth  on  such  examples  of  de- 
pravity as  Jerry  McAuley  and  Samuel-  H.  Hadley,  thieves, 
bummers,  thugs,  liars,  plug-uglies,  who  became  very  saints 
of  light,-  itself  shows  the  supernatural  power  of  this  truth. 
The  study  of  missions  makes  us  familiar  with  these  "mir- 
acles of  grace."  Besides,  there  is  no  little  educational 
effect  to  be  derived  from  such  study,  which  has  so  often 
been  adverted  to  that  I  need  here  only  to  mention  it. 

It  is  very  important  to  note  that  the  study  of  missions 
no  longer  denotes  attention  only  to  v/hat  the  church  is 
doing  in  foreign  lands,  but  includes  her  work  in  the  home 
land  in  the  slums,  in  the  neglected  sections  of  our  cities, 
and  in  the  frontier  settlements — what  we  now  call  "home 
missions." 

When  we  consider  the  many  problems  which  confront 
the  church  in  the  United  States,  identical  in  part  with 
those  with  which  the  United  S.tates  Government  has  to 
grapple — problems  which  have  been  so  graphically  and 
forcefully  presented  by  Doctor  Strong  in  "The  Challenge 
of  the  City,"  including  the  rapid  and  enormous  accumula- 
tions of  private  and  corporate  wealth,  "The  Problem  of 
Environment,"  and  that  of  the  people,  noting  especially 
the  great  influx  of  foreigners  from  every  country  under 
heaven,  we  see  something  of  their  gravity.  As  Mr.  J.  E. 
McAfee  said  at  the  Pittsburg  convention:  "From  the  ends 
of  the  earth  they  come  .  .  . :  Italian,  Bulgarian,  Bohe- 
mian, Moravian,  Croatian,  Slovenian,  Dalmatian,  Ruthe- 
nian,  Roumanian,  Norwegian,  Armenian;  East  Indian, 
West  Indian,  Lithuanian,  Hertzogovinian;  Russian,  Ser- 
vian, Syrian,  African,  Cuban,  Austrian;  Polish,  Turkish, 
Irish,  Finnish,  Flemish,  English,  Spanish,  Danish;  Chinese, 
Portuguese,  Japanese;  French  and  German,  Dutch  and 
Welsh,  Magyar  and  Scotch,  Korean  and  Montenegrin, 
Greek  and  Hebrew."  If  all  these  are  to  be  Christianized, 
the  church  surely  has  a  great  work  on  her  hands.  If  they 
are  not  Christianized,  what  will  presently  become  of  our 
Protestant,  evangelical  faith  and  works  in  this  land?  and 
what  will  happen  to  our  morals  and  our  American  institu- 
tions? 

Scores  of  thousands  of  our  citizens  are  entirely  ignorant 
of  these  conditions;  scores  of  thousands  of  our  church- 
members  know  nothing  whatever  of  the  situation.  But  so 
long  as  they  remain  ignorant  of  these  things  they  can  take 
no  interest  in  them  nor  help  to  remedy  them.  The  study 
of  home  missions  will  dispel  this  ignorance,  awaken  inter- 
est, and  enlist  effort. 


Every  church-member  should,  as  far  as  he  can,  be  intelli- 
geut  on  the  subject  of  church  problems,  the  claims  of  the 
community  and  the  country  upon  her,  and  her  consequent 
obligations.  Surely  it  is  no  credit  to  a  Christian  man  to  be 
ignorant  of  what  Christian  work  is  in  progress  or  what 
ought  to  be  done.  This  holds  good  of  the  individual  mem- 
ber of  any  individual  denomination.  As  a  United  Breth- 
ren, one  should  desire  to  know  as  much  as  he  can  about 
his  denomination,  her  past  history,  her  present  status,  her 
work,  her  prospects,  her  spirit  and  genius.  Familiarity 
with  these  will  cause  one  to  be  a  better  United  Brethren. 
I  do  not  mean  this  in  a  sectarian  or  narrow  sense,  but  in 
the  sense  that  he  will  have  more  active  interest  in  her 
undertakings,  and  he  will  see  that  he  need  not  take  on  an 
apologetic  look  and  tone  the  moment  some  one  inquires  to 
what  church  he  belongs. 

Some  of  us  have  been  speaking  of  our  foreign  mission- 
aries as  "our  heroes,"  "our  jewels."  A  perusal  of  the  pages 
of  this  book  will  make  clear  that  the  pioneers  of  our 
Church  in  many  parts  of  our  country,  and  especially  west 
of  the  Mississippi  River,  have  confronted  as  many  and 
great  dangers  and  have  undergone  as  great  hardships  and 
suffered  as  great  privations  as  those  who  have  gone  to 
China  or  India  or  Africa.  Some  have  lived  in  sheds,  in 
sod  houses,  have  received  almost  no  salaries,  have  traveled 
their  circuits  of  hundreds  of  miles  on  foot,  have  suffered 
hunger — the  wolf  being  often  actually  at  the  door;  in 
danger  from  murderous  Indians;  they,  their  wives,  and 
their  babies  have  suffered  from  frozen  ears,  fingers,  and 
feet,  have  wandered  on  the  prairies  in  fierce  blizzards  with 
the  mercury  twenty  and  more  degrees  below  zero — why? 
Certainly  not  for  the  salaries  they  received;  surely  not  for 
the  ecclesiastical  emoluments  heaped  upon  them,  but  for 
the  gospel's  sake  and  because  they  were  bent  on  saving 
souls. 

The  authors  have  well  named  their  volume  "Our  Heroes." 
Some  of  these  brave,  sacrificing  souls  are  still  living  and 
are  earnestly  at  work  for  the  Lord.  Those  of  us  who  shall 
study  this  book  will  thank  Bishop  Weekiey  and  Doctor 
Font  for  bringing  to  the  light  this  array  of  interesting, 
instructive,  and  often  pathetic  facts.  The  names  of  these 
"heroes"  are  indeed  worthy  of  grateful  remembrance,  and 
those  who  are  still  toiling,  some  of  them  with  something 
of  the  old-time  sacrifice,  will  be  cherished  and  loved  by 
the  Church  as  never  before.  Many  will  be  the  prayers 
called  forth  for  God's  richest,  kindliest  blessings  upon 
them  and  upon  the  toil  of  their  hands. 

How  these  short  stories  will  rebuke  many  of  us  who  re- 
fuse to  lay  hold  of  any  work  which  does  not  promise  a 
large  salary  and  a  fine  church,  with  a  span  of  fine  horses 
or  an  automobile!      The  complaint  is  widespread  that  the 


ministry   are   too   much   concerned   about   their    own    tem- 
poralities and  not  enough  for  the  spiritualities  of  the  flock. 

Certainly  the  ministry  should  be  adequately  supported, 
but  we  make  a  grievous  mistake  when  we  make  the  im- 
pression that  we  are  chiefly  concerned  for  the  welfare  of 
"number  one," 

May  this  book  arouse  our  Church  to  larger  efforts  in 
building  up  the  home  resources,  that  thereby  she  may  be 
the  better  qualified  to  discharge  her  full  duty  to  the  whole 
world. 

J.  P.  LANDIS. 

Union  Biblical  Seminary. 


OUR  HEROES 


or 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 


CHAPTER  I. 

Genesis  of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 

It  is  difficult  to  find  the  souFce  of  any  river. 
Rivulets  run  toward  a  thousand  valleys,  and  the 
spring  in  which  the  remote  seems  to  have  its 
birth  may  have  unseen  streams  reaching  to  far- 
distant  fountains.  The  source  of  everv  river  is 
in  the  clouds;  their  source  is  in  the  ocean,  and 
the  ocean  a  fountain  because  of  the  attraction 
of  the  sun. 

Equally  difficult  is  it  to  find  the  sources,  from 
the  human  side,  of  those  great  religious  move- 
ments which  have  resulted,  in  one  form  or 
another,  in  positive  benefit  to  the  church  of  God 
and  the  general  uplift  of  the  race. 

The  origin  of  United  Brethrenisni  may  be 
traced  to  those  sources  in  all  ages  and  among  all 
religions  where  it  has  been  insisted  upon  that 
spirit  is  more  than  form,  and  that  character  is 
more  than  ceremonv.  Elements  from  various 
sources  contributed  to  the  earlj^  development  of 
the  denomination.  Philip  William  Otterbein, 
its   founder,    was   a   direct   descendant   of   the 

11 


Our  Heroes,  or 


Reformation  and  the  great  Moravian  revival. 
John  George  Pfrinimer  was  of  Huguenot  de- 
various  scent.       John     Oalvin     McNamar 

Sources  ill  illustrated  those  traits  of  Christian 

Development  i  •  -,         .       . 

heroism  and  missionary  power  rep- 
resented by  the  Scottish  yeomanry;  and  the  an- 
cestry of  John  Collins  Bright  reaches  back  to 
the  Puritan  revolution  in  England. 

Otterbeiu  was  born  in  the  ancient  and  pic- 
turesque little  city  of  Dillenburg,  Germany,  on 
the  fourth  day  of  June,  1726.  A  castle  crowning 
the  summit  of  a  hill  overlooking  the  city  is  the 
birthplace  of  an  illustrious  line  of  princes,  in- 
cluding ^'William  the  Silent,''  the  hero  of  the 
Dutch  republic.  These  two  names  have  given 
that  little  city  its  title  to  immortality^ 

The  Otterbeiu  home  was  one  where  religion 
reigned,  where  high  culture  shed  its  refining  in- 
fluences, where  intelligent  common  sense  guided 
day  after  day,  where  mutual  helpfulness  was  in- 
culcated, and  where  mutual  happiness  was  the 
constant  aim.  The  example  of  a  scholarly  father 
was  ever  before  the  children,  and  the  influence 
of  a  cultured  mother  was  always  felt ;  but,  above 
all,  was  a  spirituality  that  never  waned.  Such 
an  atmosphere  was  favorable  to  scholarship  and 
religion,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  out  of  that 
home  came  great  scholars  and  great  Christhms. 

At  an  early  age  Otterbeiu  entered  college  at 
Herborn,  an  institution  of  the  German  Re- 
formed Church,  of  wliich  he  Avas  a  member  and 
in  which  his  father  was  an  honored  minister. 
Both  in  his  home  and  college  life  he  breathed  a 

12 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

decidedly  Protestant  atmosphere.    Here  the  Re- 
formed branch  of  Protestantism  had  been  firmly 
established    during   the   j)erio<l    of 
Home  and  ^|^^    Refomiation.      Not  far  awav 

College   Life 

were  the  battle-grounds  of  Luther 
and  Zwingli  and  Calvin.  These  conditions  were 
both  a  preparation  and  prophecy  of  no  ordinary 
or  uncertain  kind. 

When  twenty-three  years  of  a^re,  youno;  Otter- 
bein  was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry.  Here 
it  may  be  noted  that  the  ordination  of  ministers 
in  the  church  which  he  subsequently  founded  is 
secured  in  regular  line  from  the  German  Re- 
formed Church — a  line  which  is  unbroken  as  far 
back  as  history  furnishes  any  records.  The 
Church  may  therefore  take  a  little  pride  in 
claiming  one  of  the  purest  and  most  churchly 
ancestries  in  ordination  of  wliich  history  giyes  a 
record. 

Early  in  his  ministerial  life,  Otterbein  heard 
the  diyine  call  through  his  church  to  dedicate 
his  life  to  eyangelism  in  America.  His  prompt 
obedience  to  the  call  furnishes  a  noble  example 
^.jjh  ^^  of  heroic  courage  and  self-sacrifice. 

Missionary  It  meant  the  severance  of  the  dear- 
est earthly  ties,  the  turninsr  away 
from  prospects  of  rich  and  honor  positions,  to 
face  the  exposures  and  dangers  of  a  sea  voyage, 
and,  if  safely  landed,  the  perils  and  privations 
incident  to  missionary  Avork  in  a  new  and  unsub- 
dued country. 

In  the  meantime,  God  was  preparing  the 
widowed  mother  for  the  ordeal  of  separation. 

13 


Our  Heroes,  or 

Had  she  not  already  said,  "My  William  will 
have  to  be  a  missionary''?  We  may  wonder  if 
she  had  any  presentiment  that  her  son  would 
plant  a  church  which  would  become  one  of  the 
most  spiritual  and  the  most  admirable  in  spirit 
and  polity  in  all  Christendom.  It  is  certain  she 
died  without  the  sight,  and,  it  is  probable,  with- 
out the  imagination  of  these  coming  glories  to 
be  started  by  her  distinguished  son. 

When  the  time  for  his  departure  came  and  she 
realized  that  it  was  to  be  a  last  kiss,  a  last  look, 
the  venerable,  saintly  mother  rushed  to  her 
closet  and  prayed  for  added  grace  to  make  the 
sacrifice.  On  her  return,  she  clasped  the  hand 
of  her  devoted  son  in  hers,  and,  pressing  it  to  her 
lips,  said,  "Go;  the  Lord  bless  thee  and  keep 
thee;  the  Lord  cause  his  face  to  shine  upon 
thee,  and  with  much  grace  direct  thy  steps.  On 
earth  I  may  see  thy  face  no  more,  but  go.''  With 
what  strange  and  beautiful  grace  can  a  mother's 
love  bind  its  sacrifice  to  the  altar. 

Mr.  Otterbein  came  to  America  in  1752.  It 
was  in  tlie  early  history  of  the  full  group  of  the 
original  thirteen  colonies,  a  quarter  of  a  century 
before  the  era  of  independence. 
AmerrcV"  Lancastcr,  Pennsylvania,  was  the 

scene  of  his  first  labors,  then  a 
German  community  of  two  thousand  inhabi- 
tants. The  six  years  which  followed  were  fruit- 
ful of  toils,  trials,  and  conflicts,  but  also  of  great 
spiritual  blessings. 

The  time  in  which  United  Brethrenism  took 
its  rise  demanded  a  practical  tlieology  and  a  re- 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

ligion  of  experience.  Theory  enough  there  was, 
but  it  was  cold  and  dead.  During  the  third  year 
of  Otterbein's  ministry  at  Lancaster  he  was  led 
into  an  experience  which  became  tlie  "key  to  his 
after  life."  He  had  preached  a  great  sermon  on 
repentance  and  faitli,  when  an  inquirer  came  to 
him  for  spiritual  advice.  His  only  reply  was, 
"My  friend,  advice  is  scarce  with  me  to-day." 
He  then  sought  a  secret  place  of  prayer,  and 
ceased  not  his  struggle  until  he 
^  ^^^  obtained  the  peace  and  iov  of  a 

Experience  ^  «'    «^ 

conscious  salvation.  There  his 
spirit  came  into  vital,  living  touch  with  the  risen 
Christ,  and  the  darkness  and  unrest  which  had 
hitherto  oppressed  him  fled  away.  He  now  takes 
his  place  in  that  heroic  company  of  contempo- 
raries whose  lives  were  a  protest  against  in- 
differentism,  irreligion,  and  high  churchism 
through  whom  there  came  back  to  the  ecclesiasti- 
cal world,  scriptural  spirituality,  scriptural  liv- 
ing, and  a  simple  and  scriptural  ecclesiasticisui. 
The  spirit  of  the  new^  awakening  was  con- 
tagious. Ministers  of  other  denominations  en- 
tered into  a  like  experience.  The  Pentecost  and 
birth  of  the  denomination  occurred  at  Isaac 
Long's  barn  near  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1767.     "The  meeting,"    says  Dr.  C.  I.  B.  Brane, 

"was  appropriately  held  on  Whit- 
our  Pentecost     suutidc,  aud  the  gathering  of  the 

people  and  the  character  of  the 
services  were  distinctively  pentecostal.  People 
of  high  and  low  degree  and  representing  al- 
most   every     phase     of     belief     known    to    the 

15 


Our  HeroeSy  or 

commonwealth  of  Israel,  came  from  far  and 
near  and  sat  under  the  spell  of  gospel  unity 
in  that  meeting.  Eev.  Martin  Boehm,  of  the 
^lennonite  Church,  was  the  Peter  of  the  occa- 
sion, and  preached  with  such  unction  and  power 
that  souls  were  swayed  like  trees  in  the  grasp  of 
a  mighty  tempest;  and  when  the  sermon  closed 
on  the  high  tide  of  spiritual  peace  and  power, 
Otterbein  threw  his  arms  about  the  preacher  be- 
fore he  had  time  to  resume  his  seat,  and  tenderly 
said,  ^We  are  brethren.'  Scores  of  souls  were 
saved  that  day,  and  hundreds  wept  for  joy  and 
praised  God  aloud." 

These  two  fathers,  with  George  Adam  Geeting, 
an  early  convert,  became  leaders  in  a  great  re- 
vival movement.  A  distinguished  Methodist 
bishop  has  said:  "If  the  message  of  Otterbein 
had  been  in  the  English  instead  of  the  German 
language,  he  would  have  been  the  logical  leader 
of  the  general  evangelical  movement  in  Amer- 
ica" ;  a  movement  which  saved  the  new  republic 
to  evangelical  Christianity  and  the  religion  of 
the  Bible. 

Nothing  could  discourage  or  intimidate  those 
knights  errant  of  the  new  chivalry.  They  were 
mighty  men  in  preaching,  and  still  more  mighty 
in  prayer.  They  exercised  a  w^eird 
the^FlThcrs  fasciuation  and  were  great  evan- 
gelists. One  of  the  books  we  need 
most  is  the  true  story  of  United  Brethren  evan- 
gelism. That  story  is  at  present  scattered 
through  local  histories,  or  is  perishing  for  lack 
of  care,  or  has  already  perished.    But  even  now 

16 


Andre\v  Zei.i.ek 


John  G.  Pi-i<im.mkk 


Martin  Boehm 


.Jacob  Baui.us 


(Jeo.  BKNEnr.M 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

an  organizing  mind  could  shape  these  scattered 
materials  into  a  narrative  of  surpassing  power 
and  beaut}'.  He  must  be  a  chilly  United  Breth- 
ren and  a  frosty  American  who  can  hear  the 
names  of  these  heroes  without  a  thrill  of  pride 
and  gratitude.  They  must  be  counted  among  the 
creators  of  the  American  nation.  ^'The  Ger- 
mans," says  Dr.  A.  W.  Drury,  ^^largely  from 
Switzerland  and  the  Palatinate, 
Creators  of        ^yere    to    haYC    a    T3lace    scarcely 

a    Nation  ^ 

second  to  that  of  the  prepon- 
derating English  population  in  the  civil  and 
religious  history  of  the  United  States.  The 
Christian  missionary  among  them,  therefore, 
was  a  builder  of  destiny."  While  Washington, 
Adams,  Jefferson,  Franklin,  Jay,  and  Hamilton 
were  laying  the  foundations  of  government,  and 
building  uf)  a  system  of  free  institutions,  these 
heroes  of  the  Cross  Avere  devoting  themselves 
assiduously  to  the  culture  of  the  nation's  heart. 
It  is  of  exceeding  interest  to  note  the  divine 
methods  of  training  and  enlisting  human 
agencies  in  carrying  out  His  purposes.  In  the 
long  vista  of  centuries  intervening  since  the  days 
of  the  apostles  a  few  men  have  been  called  to 
walk  apart  with  God  in  special  training  for 
these  heroic  tasks.  Otterbein  was  preeminently 
of  this  select  class.  "His  labors  were  begun  Avith 
a  sublime  unconsciousness  of  the  part  that  was 
to  be  performed,  but  he  was  not  permitted  to 
continue  long  without  a  conscious  participation 
in  a  divine  plan."  Thirty-three  years  intervened 
between  the  birth  of  the  Church  and  its  official 

17 


Oiw  Heroes,  or 

naming  at  the  conference  of  1800,  which  con- 
vened at  the  home  of  Peter  Kemp  in  Frederick 
County,  Maryland.  During  this  period  the 
founders  ^^unconsciously  laid  the  lines  of  organ- 
ized church  life;  and  when  they  came  together 
in  that  conference  a  thousand  influences  and 
associations  lifted  up  their  voices  and  said,  ^Let 
this  child  of  Providence  be  christened.'  " 

Some  one  has  very  wisely  said,  ^'We  can  under- 
stand human  history  aright  only  as  we  come  to 
know  that  it  is  His  history.''  It  is  from  this 
point  of  view  that  the  origin  and  growth  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church  can  be  correctly  inter- 
preted and  appreciated.  The  foun- 
providentiai       ^^^  ^^^  ^^^  permitted  to  close  his 

life  work  without  the  satisfying 
prevision  of  abiding  results.  A  short  time  before 
his  death,  in  conversation  with  two  of  his  close 
personal  friends.  Christian  Newcomer  and  Jacob 
Baulus,  he  remarked,  "The  Lord  has  been 
pleased  graciously  to  satisfy  me  fully  that  the 
work  will  abide."  This  is  to-day  one  of  the  most 
cherished  convictions  of  every  loyal  United 
Brethren. 

In  the  perspective  of  a  century  Otterbein 
rounds  out  with  still  increasing  power,  sym- 
metry, and  grandeur  of  character.  His  work 
abides  and  his  personality  abides  with  it.  His 
convictions  were  deep  and  powerful ;  a  preacher 
Life  of  whose  words  stirred  the  multitudes 

Increasing  ^^  wluds  stlr  thc  occau,  but  who  is 

Poivcr    and  ^ 

Beauty  himsclf  calm,  ruling  the  storm  he 

had  raised.     In  the  gentleness  of  his  nature  he 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

may  be  likened  to  Melanetlion.  He  was  more  re- 
served tliau  Luther  and  more  genial  than  Calvin, 
His  kindness  of  heart,  his  amiability  of  temi^er 
and  affability  of  demeanor  made  him  everywhere 
a  welcome  guest.  Kev.  George  Lancing  Taylor, 
in  an  ode  written  in  1875,  speaks  of  Otterbein  as 

''Scholar,   apostle,   and   saint,    by   Asbury   loved   as   a 

hrother; 
Sage  in  counsel,  and  mighty  in  prayer  as  Elijah  on 

Carmel; 
Founder  and   head  of  a  people,   a  godly,   fraternal 

communion.'' 

His  death  is  an  exceptional  memory.  It  set  a 
seal  upon  a  strangely  noble  life,  and  inspired 
with  new  force  the  gospel  which  he  lived  and 
proclaimed.  On  the  eve  of  his  departure,  No- 
vember 17,  1813,  with  heaven  written  upon  his 
face,  he  said,  "Jesus,  Jesus,  I  die,  but  thou 
livest,  and  soon  I  shall  live  with  thee.''  To  his 
friends  he  exultingly  whispered :  "The  conflict 
is  over  and  past.  I  begin  to  feel  an  unspeakable 
fullness  of  love  and  peace  divine;  lay  my  head 
upon  my  pillow  and  be  still."  "Stillness  reigned 
in  the  chamber  of  death;  no,  not  of  death — the 
chariot  of  Israel  had  come."  His  body  sleeps 
beside  the  church  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  that  bears 
his  name. 


19 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Saint  Paul  of  the  Church. 

The  history  of  the  heroes  of  the  Cross  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church  in  America  begins  witli 
a  trio  of  illustrious  characters — Otterbein, 
Boehm,  and  Geeting.  Of  their  talents  and  min- 
isterial graces  a  discriminating  cotemporary  and 
colaborer,  who  knew  them  well,  gives  the  follow- 
ing sketch : 

"Otterbein  was  argumentative,  eloquent,  and 
often  terrible.  In  the  elucidation  of  Scripture 
he  was  very  clear  and  full,  few  being  his  equal." 

"Boehm  was  the  plain,  open,  and  frank  ex- 
pounder of  God's  Word,  being  all  animation,  all 
life;  often  irresistible,  like  a  mighty  current, 
carrying  his  hearers  into  deep  water.'' 

"Geeting  was  like  a  spring  sun  rising  on  a 
frost-silvered  forest,  gradually  affording  more 
heat,  more  light,  until  3  ou  could  hear,  as  it  were, 
the  crackling  in  the  forest  and  the  icy  crust  be- 
ginning to  melt  and  fall  away,  and  like  a 
drizzling  shower  ending  in  a  clear  and  joyous 
day.    He  was  the  St.  John  of  the  Clover  Leaf." 

The  death  of  these  three  leaders  marked  the 
close  of  the  first  great  period  in  our  liistory,  the 
period  of  origins  and  organization.  It  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  period  of  expansion  and  by  gradual 
transformation  and  development.  If  these  three 
represent  the  "inner  circle"  of  the  apostolic  col- 

20 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

lege,  then  Cliristiau  Newcomer,  the  fourth  in  or- 
der, represents  the  great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles 
in  missionary  zeal  and  evangelistic  endeavor.  He 
was  bom  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania, 
January  21,  1749,  three  years  before  ]Mr.  Otter- 
bein  arrived  in  America.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Switzerland,  having  emi- 
Birth  and  crrated  to  America  in  his  childhood 

Early   Life  ^^ 

mth  his  parents.  The  discipline  of 
young  Newcomer's  humble  home  inured  him  to  a 
life  of  toil  and  enabled  him  to  welcome  the  rough 
tasks  which  in  the  divine  plan  he  was  to  meet 
later  in  life.  He  was  peculiarly  fitted  both  by 
nature  and  grace,  not  only  for  the  work  of  a 
pioneer  missionary,  but  to  be  a  master  spirit 
among  the  pioneers.  His  father  was  a  carpenter 
by  trade,  which  trade  the  son  learned  and  pur- 
sued. So  it  is  said  of  the  world's  first  and 
greatest  Missionary,  whose  life  and  work  among 
men  marks  the  beginning  of  the  truly  heroic  age, 
^^He  was  a  carpenter,  and  the  son  of  a  carpen- 
ter." 

When  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  Mr.  New- 
comer became  deeply  interested  in  the  matter  of 
his  personal  salvation.  His  parents  were  both 
pious  members  of  the  Mennonite  Society,  "in 
which  were  still  to  be  found  remains  of  that 
ardent  piety  which  two  hundred  years  before 
had  blazed  up  gloriously  under  the  labors  of 
Menno  Simonis."  Their  piety  and  devotion  had 
made  a  deep  impression  upon  his  mind.  "Oft<?n,'' 
said  he,  "I  saw  them  kneeling  together  in  silent 

21 


Our  Heroes,  or 

prayer."  An  incident  which  shoAvs  the  strong 
trend  of  his  conviction  and  feelings  at  this  time 
is  thus  related :  "I  remember  once  being  in  the 
Early  ^Qlii  at  work,  wlien  the  grace  of 

Religious  God  wrought  such  powerful   con- 

viction  m  my  heart  that  I  went 
down  on  my  knees  in  a  hollow  place  in  the  field, 
crying  to  the  Lord  and  saying,  ^O  thou  blessed 
Savior,  I  will  cheerfully  believe  in  thee,  for  thou 
art  my  Redeemer,  and  I  am  the  purchase  of  thy 
most  precious  blood.''  The  various  experiences 
through  Avhich  he  passed  before  fully  yielding 
himself  to  God  were  similar  to  those  of  James 
Chalmers,  of  missionary  fame.  Twice  he  had 
been  led  into  the  light,  and  as  many  times  had 
fallen  back  into  the  darkness,  all  of  which  he 
attributed  to  his  disobedience  to  the  will  of  God 
respecting  his  life  work.  Finally,  after  fleeing 
from  duty  for  several  years,  the  hand  of  sore 
affliction  is  placed  upon  him,  and  one  night,  in  a 
secret  place  of  prayer,  there  wrestled  with  him 
the  angel  of  the  covenant  until  the  day  was 
dawning,  when  he  fully  surrendered  his  will  to 
God,  and  was  made  a  crown  prince. 

About  that  time,  Mr.  Newcomer  became 
acquainted  with  Otterbein  and  Geeting,  and, 
finding  the  doctrines  they  preached  in  such  per- 
fect harmony  with  his  own  expe- 
provid^noe  ricucc,  lic  joiucd  himself  to  them 
and  to  their  society.  He  was  pecu- 
liarly a  child  of  the  hour,  and  his  life  was  as 
truly  providential  in  its  relation  to  the  formative 
period  of  his  denomination  as  was  that  of  INIr. 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Asbiiry  to  the  church    he    helped  to  found  in 
America. 

He  had,  in  a  conspicuous  degree,  the 
three  qualities  which  Emerson  lias  said  "attract 
the  reverence  of  mankind — disinterestedness, 
practical  power,  and  courage/'  His  disinterest- 
edness is  shown  in  his  habitual  sacrifice  of  those 
things  w^hicli  most  men  count  dear  unto  them- 
selves. This  is  apparent  in  every 
Qualities  of        ^^^^   ^f  j^jg   carccr.     There   is   not 

Cliaraoter  ^  .  ,   .  . 

a  single  sentence  m  his  jour- 
nal (which  covers  the  last  thirty-five  years 
of  his  missionary  work),  or  in  the  comment  of  a 
cotemporary,  that  in  the  remotest  way  suggests 
that  he  ever  put  self  before  the  interests  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ.  Not  since  the  apostolic  age 
has  the  church  produced  a  grander  illustration 
of  the  power  of  the  gospel  to  subdue  human 
selfishness  and  to  make  Jesus  Christ  supreme  in 
the  life.  He  belongs  to  the  magnificent  army  of 
those  who  counted  not  their  lives  dear  unto 
themselves  that  they  might  win  souls  to  Christ. 
For  fifty-three  years  he  was  in  the  saddle  almost 
constantly,  bearing  the  message  of  salvation  to 
multitudes  in  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Vir- 
ginia, Kentucky,  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  once  visit- 
ing Canada. 

Newcomer  was  a  born  bishop.  After  the  death 
of  Otterbein,  Boehm,  and  Geeting,  the  infant 
Church  instinctively  turned  to  him  as  its  leader. 
He  was  elected  active  bishop  in  1813,  again 
elected  bisliop  in  1814,  and  with  the  formation 
of  the  General  Conference  in  1815  he  was  five 

23 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

times    successively     reelected.      His    practical 
poAver  is  shown  in  the  manner  in  which  he  or- 
ganized   and    controlled    the   new 
Qualities  of        ^^gQcieties.''     ^^Under  his  influence, 

Character  ' 

largely,  the  so-calle(J  ^unsectarian' 
were  to  become  a  denomination,  and  the  so- 
called  ^society'  was  more  fully  tO'  develop  the 
character  of  a  church."  Up  until  this  time  there 
had  been  no  definite  form  of  government  for  the 
little  bands  of  worshipers  which  had  now  begun 
to  grow  and  develop.  Organization,  and  that  at 
once,  became  an  imperative  necessity,  and 
Bishop  Newcomer,  who-  was  brought  to  the  king- 
dom for  such  a  time,  proved  himself  equal  to  the 
task.  Opposition  to  his  work  manifested  itself 
in  local  communities,  in  annual  conferences, 
even  in  the  General  Conference  sessions;  but  his 
enlarged  view,  single  aim,  and  unremitted  effort 

more  and  more  prevailed.  He 
Organizer  formcd  classcs,  and  with  his  own 

hands  stitched  the  first  class-book 
and  assisted  in  preparing  a  manuscript  disci- 
pline which  is  still  preserved.  Power  and  repose, 
velocity  and  steadiness  of  movement,  intensity 
and  equipoise  are  commingled  w^onderfully  in 
this  man  with  a  mission  from  God.  He  showed 
great  tact  in  controlling  and  even  subduing 
opposition.  He  was  the  first  of  the  early  fathers 
to  gather  missionary  money  in  order  to  do  more 
aggressive  work.  Bishop  Newcomer  is  some- 
times called,  and  properly  so,  "the  refounder  of 
the  Church."  "Humanly  speaking,"  says  his 
biogi^apher,  "had  it  not  been  for  the   tact    and 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

good  sense  and  piety  of  this  man  of  God,  we 
might  not,  as  a  denomination,  be  in  existence  to- 
day.'' 

In  a  Terj  special  sense.  Bishop  Newcomer  was 
the  father  of  the  itinerant  preaching  system,  to 
which  the  Church  has  adhered.  He  regarded  it 
as  an  apostolic  mode  adapted  to  the  circum- 
stances of  new  and  sparsely-settled  districts.  By 
his  example  he  illustrated  the  tremendous  effec- 
tiveness  of  the  plan.  Who  can  imagine  what  a 
failure  United  Brethrenism  would  have  been  in 
America  if  the  itinerancy  had  not  been  estab- 
lished? Otterbein  inaugurated  it;  Newcomer 
upheld  it. 

His  moral  courage  is  shown  in  the  manner  in 
which  he  bore  the  contumely  and  the  reproach  of 
the  formalism  and  unbelief  of  his  times  and  the 
opposition  of  his  own  people  to  his  plans  and 
progressive  views,  which  he  was  convinced  were 
in  harmony  with  the  purposes  of  God.  His  phys- 
ical courage  is  shown  in  the  manner  in  which  he 
faced  and  subdued  ignorant  and  brutal  mobs. 
He  was  a  hero  of  the  strongest  fiber.  He  was 
born  to  do  and  to  dare.  Thirty- 
spiHt^^**"*  eight  times  he  crossed  the  Alle- 
ghany Mountains.  On  these  trips 
he  passed  through  a  thousand  perils,  yet  these 
perils  and  escapes,  which  he  forgot  as  soon  as 
over,  he  referred  to  simply  as  the  "pepper  and 
salt"  which  cfave  zest  to  his  further  and  i^reater 
efforts.  Nothing  could  relax  his  energy  or  ex- 
tinguish his  zeal.  It  is  said  that  he  always  kept 
a  good  horse,  kept  him  in  good  condition,  and 

25 


Our  Heroes,  or 

when  well  moimted  took  but  little  account  of 
heat,  or  cold,  or  distance.  On  he  went,  traveling 
at  the  rate  of  six  thousand  miles  a  year,  until  he 
almost  died  in  his  saddle.  The  secret  of  New- 
comer's marvelous  success  lay  in  his  love  for 
souls,  which  developed  into  a  passion  that  noth- 
ing could  cool  or  conquer.  No  matter  where  he 
went  or  what  were  his  surroundings,  this  ruling 
bent  of  his  soul  was  manifest.  His  journeys 
often  consumed  whole  days  and  nights,  amid 
perils  of  robbers  and  wild  beasts  of  the  forest, 
often  traveling  a  whole  day  with  nothing  to  eat. 
Sometimes  he  was  heard  to  say,  when  enduring 

privations  and  facing  seemingly 
foTs^ouis  insurmountable  difficulties:     ^^One 

soul  is  worth  more  than  the  whole 
world.  What  if  we  risk  our  all,  if  we  venture 
our  lives  to  gain  one  soul  for  Jesus?  If  success- 
ful, we  will  be  amply  rewarded  for  all  our  toil. 
Let  us  go !'' 

Mr.  Spayth,  who  had  the  advantage  of  a  per- 
sonal acquaintance  with  him,  says:  ^'Often  he 
was  compelled  to  make  forced  rides,  to  expose 
his  person  in  the  most  inclement  season  of  the 
year  and  the  stages  of  high  water;  but  none  of 
these  things  could  check  him  in  his  course.  The 
writer,  w^hen  traveling  Susquehanna  Circuit,  in 
the  year  of  1812,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  all  cold 
and  snow,  had  a  meeting  in  Berks  County. 
While  preaching,  Brother  Newcomer's  tall  figure 
made  its  appearance  at  the  door.  I  beckoned  to 
liim  to  come  to  the  stand,  but,  the  room  being- 
crowded,  he  remained  where  he  wa.s,  and,  with- 

26 


United  Bret li ran  Home  Missionaries 

out  leaTiug  the  door,  closed  the  meeting  with  a 
very  impressive  exhortation,  and  sang  and 
prayed.  I  pronounced  the  benediction.  The 
audience  made  a  move  to  leave.  Now  was  New- 
comer's time ;  he  shook  hands  with  one  and  then 
with  another,  addressing  some  by  name,  exliort- 
ing  all,  young  and  old,  with  a  voice  and  visage 
as  si)iritual  and  holy  as  if  he  had  just  come  from 
the  court  of  heaven.  Many  began  to  weep,  and 
we  had  a  gracious  and  powerful  blessing.  Thus 
often,  when  it  was  thought  that  he  was  far  away, 
he  Avould  come  upon  meetings  unexpectedly  and 
unlooked  for,  but  his  coming  was  everywhere 
and  always  hailed  with  joy." 

Bishop  Newcomer  was  preeminently  a  man  of 
prayer.  Closely  in  this  respect  did  he  follow  in 
the  footsteps  of  his  Lord.  No  part  of  his  journal 
is  of  more  thrilling  interest  than  the  numerous 
entries  in  relation  to  his  seasons  of 
Prayer  Life  prayer.  Ouce  he  speaks  of  gaining 
the  summit  of  a  mountain  through 
much  difficulty,  where  he  erected  an  altar  of 
prayer  and  offered  up  praises  and  thanksgiving 
to  God.  Then,  after  making  supplications  for 
all  his  brethren  in  the  ministry,  he  implored  the 
divine  favor  axid  protection  on  his  further  jour- 
ne3\  Again,  he  is  found  kneeling  on  the  banks 
of  a  swollen  stream  in  central  Ohio,  pouring  out 
his  heart  to  God  in  thanksgiving  for  delivering 
him  safely  over. 

No  picture  of  this  Church  father  has  been 
handed  down,  but  he  is  described  as  being  tall  in 
stature,  of  commanding  figure,  somewhat  bent, 

27 


Our  Heroes^  or- 

with  Dantean  ejebroAvs,  overhanging  eyes  of  a 
singularly  penetrating  sweetness  when  they 
looked  at  you.  His  very  presence,  like  that  of 
Thomas  Guthrie,  subdued  the  ignoble  and  base 
in  those  about  him,  and  suggested  better 
thoughts.  While  conducting  a  meeting  in  one  of 
the  most  wdcked  towns  in  York  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  where  some  of  his  associates  had  pre- 
viously suffered  bodily  injury  at  the  hands  of  a 
mob,  which  opposed  their  w^ork,  the  following 
incident  occurred : 

One  afternoon  several  women  came  to  the 
altar  of  prayer,  one  of  whom  was  the  wife  of  the 
leader  of  the  opposition.  A  spy,  who  occupied  a 
place  at  the  window,  hurriedly  carried  the  news 
to  the  man,  who  was  working  in  an  oil  mill  not 
far  away.  He  immediately  dropped  his  work, 
and  without  coat  or  hat  and  with  arms  bare  to 
the  shoulders,  came  running  like  a  demon.  Mr. 
Newcomer  said  to  the  people,  who 
J^?,7^*'L  w^ere   tremblins:   with  fear,  ^'Don^t 

With  Men  '^  ' 

be  alarmed ;  I  '11  meet  him."  So  he 
went  to  the  door  and  greeted  the  man  with  the 
words,  spoken  in  a  gentle  tone  of  voice,  ^^I  sup- 
pose you  want  your  wife.''  "Yes,"  answered  the 
man,  whose  countenance  burned  with  anger, 
"and  I  will  knock  any  man  down  who  interferes 
in  the  matter."  "Well,  come  right  in,"  said  New- 
comer, "I  '11  show  you  where  she  is."  The  man 
hesitated  as  he  stepped  inside  the  door,  when 
Mr.  Newcomer  placed  his  hand  upon  his  shoul- 
der and  escorted  him  down  the  aisle.  They  had 
made  but  a  few  steps  when  the  man  was  seized 

28 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

with  conviction,  and,  falling  upon  the  floor,  be- 
gan to  i)lead  piteously  for  mercy.  That  man  was 
Christian  Grumbling,  who  subsequently  became 
one  of  the  i)ioneer  missionaries  in  the  territory 
noAV  occupied  by  the  Allegheny  Conference. 

Speaking  of  his  conversion,  Mr.  Grumbling 
said:  "Before  we  got  far  down  the  aisle,  that 
old  man's  hand  (referring  to  Newcomer)  became 
too  heavy  for  me  to  carry,  and  when  I  saw  my 
wife  down  there  i^raying,  I  fell  right  down  by 
her  side  and  cried,  'God  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sin- 
ner,' aoid  that  night  wife  and  I  were  both 
gloriously  saved.'' 

In  the  summer  of  1810  Mr.  Newcomer  made 
his  first  journey  west  of  the  Alleghanies.  His 
previous  missionai'y  tours  had  extended  west- 
ward as  far  as  Mt.  Pleasant,  Pennsylvania, 
which,  like  Antioch,  had  become  a  new  center 
for  the  extension  of  the  early  iiiis- 
w^t  ''''""^''  sionary  work  of  the  Church.  ^  Here 
great  revivals  of  religion  occurred 
in  1803.  The  following  entries  appear  in  New- 
comer's journal,  bearing  dates  of  November  10 
and  11  of  that  year : 

^'November  10.  Preached  at  John  Bonnet's.  I 
had  not  spoken  long  before  some  of  my  hearert^; 
fell  to  the  floor.  Others  stood  trembling,  and 
cried  so  loud  that  my  voice  could  not  well  be 
heard." 

"On  the  11th  we  had  a  meeting  at  Swopes,  and 
here  the  power  of  God  was  displayed  in  a  most 
marvelous  manner.  The  whole  congregation  was 
moved,  and  seemed  to  wave  like  corn  before  a 

29 


Our  Heroes,  or 

mighty  wind.  Lamentation  and  mourning  were 
very  general.  Many  were  the  wounded  and  slain. 
Some  of  the  most  stubborn  sinners  fell  instantly 
before  the  power  of  God.  The  meeting  continued 
the  whole  night,  and  some  were  enabled  to  re- 
joice in  the  pardoning  love  of  God." 

On  the  first  of  July,  1810,  Newcomer  pursued 
his  journey  westward  from  Mt.  Pleasant.  Some- 
where on  the  summit  of  a  mountain  he  knelt  be- 
side an  altar  which  he  had  built  of  stone,  where, 
Jacob-like,  he  saw  the  angels  of  God  going  up 
and  coming  down  before  him.  Then  reverently 
he  arose  and  pursued  his  lonely  and  perilous 
way  into  the  swamps  and  forests  of  Ohio.  Fre- 
quently he  was  heard  to  remark  while  traveling 
through  the  Scioto  and  Miami  valleys,  "Oh,  what 
a  country  this  will  be  in  a  half  century  hence." 
How  much  greater  prophet  was  he  than  Presi- 
dent James  Monroe,  who,  about  the  same  time, 
made  the  famous,  ludicrous  prophecy,  "Ohio  will 
never  become  a  habitable  country."  On  this  jour- 
ney Mr.  Newcomer  attended  the  initial  session 
of  the  Miami  Oonference,  the  second  of  the  de- 
nomination, which  convened  in  Eoss  County, 
Ohio,  August  13  of  that  year.  He  reached  his 
home  in  Pennsylvania,  September  14,  at  which 
time  he  writes:  "After  being  twelve  weeks  on 
my  journey,  I  reached  home  this  evening,  and 
found  my  family  well.  Praise  the  Lord,  O  my 
soul,  for  all  his  goodness  and  mercy." 

These  annual  missionary  tours  westward  were 
continued  for  nineteen  consecutive  years,  wliicli 
included  a  journey  of  from  1,000  to  2,000  miles 

30 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

on  horseback.  In  1817  this  veteran  hero  of  the 
Cross  made  his  first  tour  in  the  State  of  Indiana. 
The  country  was  then  a  pathless  wilderness.  He 
Avas  compelled  to  hire  guides  to  conduct  him 
through  the  forests.  Reaching  Clark  County,  he 
writes:  "Bless  the  Lord.  This  morning  I  am 
well  and  determined  by  grace  to  do  and  suffer 

his  will.  I  am  now  in  Clark 
nuiiana  Couuty,    ludlaua,    more   tlian   one 

hundred  miles  from  the  State  of 
Ohio."  One  hundred  miles  from  Ohio  was  con- 
sidered "far  out  West"  in  those  days.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  realize  that  even  seventy-five  years  ago 
Ohio  was  a  State  on  the  northern  frontier  or 
confines  of  Christian  civilization.  Illinois  was 
the  frontier  State  in  the  Middle  West,  and  Mis- 
souri in  the  far  South.  Michigan  and  Arkansas 
were  organized  territories,  but  beyond  these 
States  was  an  unorganized  and,  most  of  it,  unex- 
plored wilderness  and  pathless  desert,  where  the 
buffalo  roamed  at  will  and  where  the  savage  had 
his  home. 

Bishop  Newcomer  made  his  last  trip  west 
wlien  in  his  eighty-first  year,  riding  on  his  horse, 
on  this  occasion,  fifty-two  miles  in  one  day.  On 
his  return  from  this  journe}-,  in  the  early 
autumn  of  1829,  it  was  apparent  that  his  health 
was  failing.  The  thirty-eight  pilgrimages  across 
the  Alleghanies  and  through  the  swamps  and 

stagnant  waters  of  the  western 
Health^  wood  had  so  preyed  upon  him  as  to 

enfeeble  his  step  and  cause  his 
strong  form  to  totter.     Six  months  later,  and 

31 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

eight  days  before  his  death,  this  veteran  soldier 
of  the  Cross  mounted  his  horse  for  his  last 
earthly  journey,  attempting"  to  meet  an  engage- 
ment in  Virginia.  Proceeding  as  far  as  Boons- 
boro,  Maryland,  he  remained  for  the  night.  On 
the  following  morning,  finding  himself  quite  ill, 
he  gave  up  his  intended  journey  and  returned  to 
his  home  to  die.  On  his  arrival,  March  4,  1830, 
the  following  closing  paragraph  of  his  journal 
was  written :  "I  lay  down  my  pen,  and  the  Lord 
knows  whether  I  shall  be  able  to  resume  it  ai>ain. 
The  Lord's  will  be  done.    Amen." 

The  end  of  such  a  life,  as  we  might  anticipate, 
was  beautiful  and  peaceful.  Let  us  glance  into 
his  chamber  on  March  12,  just  before  his  trans- 
lation. We  see  him  rise  from  his 
Rest  at  Last  bcd  without  auy  assistance,  and 
kneel  before  that  throne  where  he 
had  formed  an  acquaintance  with  the  Lord  many 
years  before.  When  the  prayer  is  ended,  the 
chariot  is  waiting  to  take  him  to  his  coronation. 
The  long,  weary  marches  are  over  and  the  hero 
of  many  a  hard-fought  battle  exchanges  his 
armor  for  a  crown  of  fadeless  glory. 

No  eulogy  can  exalt  such  a  man.  The  work  of 
his  heroic  life  cannot  be  estimated,  and  we  who 
read  his  wonderful  story  to-day  must  feel  our 
hearts  thrill  with  enthusiasm  and  stir  with  de- 
sire to  follow  in  his  footsteps  and  make  our  lives 
count  for  something  in  the  great  work  for  which 
he  gave  his  all. 


32 


CHAPTER  III. 

Pioneer  Missionaries  in  Ohio. 

The  admission  of  Ohio  into  the  Union  in  1802 
marked  the  beginning  of  the  tide  of  immigration 
westward,  and  with  it  the  development  of  "God's 
great  West"  with  its  then  undreamed-of  magni- 
tude and  possibilities.  Little  did  the  pioneer 
settlers  imagine  that  they  were  preparing  the 
future  gTeat  arena  that  was  to  determine  the 
final  outcome  for  Jesus  Christ  over  every  oppos- 
ing enemy  in  the  world,  and  where  the  struggles 
for  mastery  between  faiths  and  races  and  civil- 
izations Avould  be  decided. 

Among  the  Abrahams  of  the  Church  who  at 
the  divine  call  first  left  their  homes  in  the  East 
and  went  out  to  build  the  altars  of  Jehovah  in 
the  promised  lands  of  the  West,  were  Andrew 
Zeller,  John  G.  Pfrimmer,  George  Benedum, 
Jacob  Baulus,  Henry  Kumler,  Sr.,  Jacob  An- 
trim, and  Joseph  Hoffman. 

The  career  of  those  heroes  of  the  Cross  was  a 
continual  glow  of  incandescent  zeal  and  marvel- 
ous success.  No  loftier  example  of  Christian 
heroism  and  consecration  to  the  work  and  pur- 
pose of  Christianity  has  been  held  up  since  the 
apostolic  age.  They  endured  hardness  and  priva- 
tion without  a  murmur;  talked  naturally  about 

33 


Our  Heroes,  or 

religion  in  private  and  in  public ;  were  not  bur- 
dened with  useless  erudition  or  with  overmuch 
philosophy;  but  they  had  good  news  to  tell  and 
they  told  it  eagerly,  with  the  eloquence  of  love 
and  the  logic  of  experience.  If  ever  the  T^ilder- 
ness  did  bud  and  blossom  as  the  rose,  that  blush 
of  beautv  follovved  the  meanderin2:s  of  these 
servants  of  God  and  was  like  fragrant  flowers 
that  leave  a  long  perfume. 

The  first  United  Brethren  society  west  of  the 
Oliio  Eiver  was  organized  by  Andrew  Zeller  near 
Germantown,  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  in 
1806.  Almost  simultaneously,  probably  a  few 
months  later,  George  Benedum  began  mis- 
sionary work  near  Lancaster,  Fairfield  Coun- 
First  V.  B.  ty,  Oliio.  Probably  to  no  two 
Society  individuals  is  the  Church  in  Ohio 

so  much  indebted  for  its  early  and 
rapid  growth  and  its  present  strength  and  pros- 
perity. Brave  and  true  men  were  they,  toiling 
under  many  disadvantages,  but  laying  with 
patience  the  foundation  of  the  goodly  temple 
which  their  successors  have  reared. 

The  time  had  now  arrived  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  western  conference.  The  distance  was 
too  great  and  involved  too  much  time  and  ex- 
I>ense  for  the  ministers  of  Ohio  to  attend  the 
,5i„„,,  conference  in  the  East.   The  Miami 

Conference         Confereucc    was    therefore    organ- 

ized,  the  second  of  the  Church  in 
the  historic  order.  The  initial  session  was  held 
at  the  home  of  Michael  Crider  in  Boss  Countv, 
Ohio,   August   13,   1810.      Christian   NcAvcomer 

3  4 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

presided.  Fifteen  ministers  were  present.  But 
little  business  was  transacted  apart  from  the 
simple  organization.  The  occasion  is  spoken  of 
rather  as  one  of  prayer  and  meditation.  It  was 
one  of  those  historic  moments  when  men  chosen 
of  God  dimly  realize  that  they  are  facing  a  mis- 
sion of  vast  and  mysterious  magnitude,  and 
therefore  humble  themselves  before  Almightv 
God  and  seek  to  know  his  will. 

The  company  was  composed  of  strong  and 
varied  personalities — men  of  giant  hearts  and 
stahvart  frames.  They  were  marked  by  a  mighty 
faith  that  laughed  at  impossibilities  and  cried, 
^'It  shall  be  done."  From  that  mount  of  com- 
munion they  went  forth  with  a  new  touch  of 
God  upon  them  to  inaugurate  a  new  era  of  prog- 
ress in  the  early  history  of  the  denomination. 

The  original  area  embraced  by  the  conference 
included  all  the  State  of  Ohio,  with  the  eastern 
portions  of  Indiana,  the  special  center  of  work 
being  the  Miami,  Scioto,  and  Muskingum  val- 
leys. These  men  of  God  were  to  be  found 
throughout  this  great  territory  wherever  the 
bushman's  blaze  was  to  be  seen  or  the  sound  of 
his  ax  was  to  be  heard.  Eagerly  they  followed 
the  tract  or  trail  of  the  settlers,  in  search  of 
those  shepherdless  sheep  scattered  throughout 
the  wilderness.  By  day  they 
Missfonarier  prcachcd  ou  stumps  and  in  bams, 
and  by  night  they  slept  in  shanty 
or  shack,  often  hearing  the  howl  of  the  wolf, 
and  sometimes  the  war-whoop  of  the  painted 
savage.     Through  such  toil  and  peril  more  than 

35 


Oitr  Heroes^  or 

a  thousand  additions  were  made  to  the  confer- 
ence in  a  single  year. 

'  ANDREW   ZELIiER 

Andrew  Zeller  was  born  in  Berks  County, 
Pa.,  in  the  year  1755.  Of  his  early  history  noth- 
ing is  recorded.  He  was  of  as  obscure  an  origin 
as  David,  and  he  took  the  same  way  to  the  head 
of  the  kingdom,  by  doing  his  best  at  the  seeming 
impossible,  and  trusting  in  God. 

His  religious  life  and  work  began  about  the 
3^ear  1790,  when  he  was  converted  and  united 
with  the  Church.  Newcomer's  journal  reveals 
the  high  regard  in  which  he  was  held  by  the 
early  fathers. 

In  the  year  1806,  Mr.  Zeller  and  his  family 
immigrated  to  Ohio,  locating  near  Germantown, 
where  he  built  a  humble  home  and  consecrated 
it  to  the  private  and  public  worship  of  God.  He 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Miami  Con- 
ference and  was  also  a  member  of  the  General 
Member  of  Couferencc  of  1815,  at  which  time 
First  General  he  was  clectcd  blshop.  In  this 
on  erence  positlou  lic  scrved  with  great  effi- 
ciency for  six  years.  In  times  of  perplexity  he 
w^as  one  of  the  first  men  to  whom  his  brethren 
and  even  hjs  colleagues  turned.  His  counsel  was 
always  invaluable.  He  was  a  man  of  profound 
faitli  and  of  great  humility.  He  possessed  a 
quiet  dignity  of  manner  that  never  forsook  him. 
In  old  age  his  appearance  has  been  likened  to 
that  of  an  apostle. 

He  was  a  man  of  magnetic  personality,  and 

36 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

those  who  were  brought  within  his  influence 
were  strangely  drawn  toward  him.  Mr.  Spayth 
relates  this  story  of  him  which  came  under  his 
own  observation :  ^'While  on  his  official  tour  in 
1815,  he  had  to  have  a  small  piece  of  work  done, 
in  the  town  of  jM.  The  mechanic  was  a.  worthy 
man,  but  would  not  attend  church  or  hear 
preaching.  While  doing  the  work  he  cast  a  heed- 
less look  at  Bishop  Zeller,  who  stood  not  far 
away  with  his  hands  folded  before  him.  The 
maji  looked  the  second  and  third  time,  but  with 
feelings  which  liad  begun  to  steal  on  him,  for 
which  he  could  not  account.  Another  look,  and 
an  arrow  shot  through  his  heart.  From  that 
moment  he  had  no  rest  (the  stranger  stood  ever 
before  him  with  folded  hands,  and,  as  he 
thought,  praying  to  God  for  his  soul)  till  God 
spoke  peace  to  him.  That  man  has  ever  since 
been  a  constant  Christian.'' 

As  a  preacher.  Bishop  Zeller  was  thoughtful, 
persuasive,  and  dignified,  always  attractive  and 
winning  to  the  hearer.  He  had  not  the  culture 
of  Otterbein  nor  the  eloquence  of  Geeting, 
neither  did  he  embody  the  elements  of  leader- 
ship that  Newcomer  possessed,  but  he  was  en- 
dowed with  those  fine  traits  of  noble  minds,  ten- 
derness and  justice,  without  which  all  real  in- 
tellectual powers,  however  brilliant,  are  but  as 
the  glitter  of  icebergs  or  the  cold  glare  of  lonely 
mountain  peaks. 

When  the  day  of  his  departure  came,  ^lay  25, 
1839,  Miami  Conference  was  in  session  in  Ger- 
mantown,  only  a  mile  from  his  residence.     Be- 

37 


Our  Heroes y  or 

fore  his  spirit  took  its  flight  and  dwelt  with  the 
angels  he  sent  and  received  many  greetings  of 

love  and  faith.  ^'With  much  of  the 
Eiventide  Same  longing  for  a  double  portion 

of  the  spirit  Elisha  sought  of 
his  Master,  the  entire  conference  remained  to 
attend  the  funeral  of  him  who  was  very  prop- 
erly regarded  as  the  father  of  the  Church  in  the 
West,  in  so  far  as  it  had  a  human  father/^ 

GEORGE  BENEDUM 

George  Benedum,  who  was  among  the  earlier 
fruits  of  the  revival  of  religion  in  Pennsylvania, 
was  admitted  into  the  Hagerstown  Conference 
in  1794,  in  the  twenty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  The 
date  of  his  removal  to  Ohio  was  most  probably 
earh^  in  1806.  He  was  perhaps  known  as  Avidely 
and  favorably  in  the  early  history  of  the  Church 
in  Ohio  as  any  other  man.  Among  those 
who  were  won  to  Christ  during  the  early  years 
of  his  evangelistic  work  were  four  young  men 
who  became  useful  and  honored  ministers — 
Dewalt  Mechlin,  Louis  Kramer,  John  Smaltz, 
and  Bishop  Samuel  Heistand.  He  assisted  in 
the  organization  of  Miami  Conference  and  was  a 
member  of  the  first,  third,  fifth,  and  sixth  Gen- 
eral Conferences. 

Mr.  Benedum  was  a  preacher  of  fine  ability. 
Bishop  Russell,  his  intimate  friend,  pays  him 
the  followiug  tribute :  "He  possessed  higli-class 
natural  endowments.  His  apprehension  was 
quick,  judgment  accurate,  imagination  fertile. 
At  a  camp-meeting  I  heard  him  preach  a  sermon 

38 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

before  the  sacrament,  on  Isaiah  53 :  12,  and  such 
was  the  profundity  of  thought,  such  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  seriuon,  that  it  seemed 
to  me  that  heaven  and  earth  were  coming  to- 
gether/' 

As  an  evangelist  Mr.  Benedum  was  most  suc- 
cessful, and  in  building  up  new  converts  in  the 
faith  and  turning  young  men  toward  the  min- 
istry he  perhaps  had  no  superior  in  his  day. 
'^He  traveled  extensively,  preached  much,  and 
gathered  full  harvests  into  the  Master's  garner, 
receiving  of  earthly  compensation  but  slight 
measure,  but  of  the  eternal  in  great  abundance.'' 
After  a  faithful  service  as  missionary  in  central 
Ohio  for  thirty-one  years  and  having  reached 
the  age  of  seventy-two  years,  he  was  called  from 
labor  to  reward. 


JOSEPH  HOFFMAX 

Among  the  early  and  valuable  additions  to  the 
new  conference  from  the  East  was  Joseph  Hoff- 
man, who  Avith  his  family  moved  to  Ohio  in  1817, 
and  who  in  the  divine  plan  was  to  wear  the 
mantle  of  Bishop  Zeller.  He  was  a  great 
preacher  and  evangelist,  possessing  a  mighty 
courage  and  forceful  personality.  His  life  re- 
sembled not  so  much  the  beautiful  river  whose 
broad  stream  winds  through  rich  and  varied 
scenery,  but  that  which  cuts  a  deep  and  rapid 
channel  through  rugged  rocks  and  frowning 
wilds,  leaving  the  impress  of  its  power  in  the 
productiveness  of  the  region  through  which  it 
has  passed,  which  but  for  it  vvould  remain  deso- 

39 


Our  EeroeSy  or 

late  and  barren.  At  a  distance  Bishop  Hoffman 
seemed  brusque  and  cold,  but  at  close  range  he 
was  the  most  companionable  of  men,  abounding 
in  good  will,  wit,  and  geniality. 

He  spent  a  winter  in  New  York,  during  which 
time  he  was  invited  to  speak  in  some  of  the  lead- 
ing pulpits  of  the  city.  ^'Had  rest  been  his 
object  he  might  have  been  settled  there  in  a  very 
desirable  living  which  was  proffered  him.''  The 
years  of  his  itinerant  work  included  long  and 
perilous  missionary  journeys,  both  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  but  they  resulted  in  the  sal- 
vation of  multitudes  of  souls  and  in  laying  the 
foundations  of  churches  whose  membership  still 
live  to  praise  him.  He  spoke  with  equal  fluency 
in  the  English  and  German  languages. 

The  life  of  Bishop  Hoffman  shone  undimmed 
to  the  last.  While  preparing  to  attend  the  dedi- 
cation of  a  church  near  his  home  at  Euphemia, 
Ohio,  on  a  Sabbath  morning,  in  the  seventy-sixth 
year  of  his  age,  "without  any  previous  illness, 
the  chariot  of  Israel  and  the  horsemen  thereof 
came  along  and  the  man  of  God,  like  Elijah, 
dropped  the  mantle  which  he  had  worn  so  long 
and  so  worthil^^  and  ascended  to  the  heights  of 
glory." 

HENRY  KUMLER,  SR. 

The  conference  was  also  favored  in  having  as 
one  of  its  early  recruits  Henry  Kumler,  Sr.,  who 
possessed  in  an  eminent  degree  the  qualities  of 
character  demanded  by  that  strategic  time. 

His  work  as  an  itinerant  began  in  1815.     In 

40 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

intensity  of  missionary  zeal  and  distances  trav- 
eled he,  perhaps,  more  nearly  approximated 
Newcomer  than  any  of  the  early  fathers.  His 
first  charge  in  the  mountains  of  Virginia  re- 
quired a  journey  of  about  four  hundred  miles, 
in  order  to  give  each  congi'egation  preaching 
once  in  four  weeks.  In  1817,  when  serving  a 
district  as  presiding  elder,  he  almost  went  to  his 
death  in  his  zeal  for  souls,  preaching  two  and 
three  times  a  day  for  fourteen  consecutive 
weeks.  On  his  recovery  the  following  year,  he 
took  up  his  work  with  the  same  degree  of 
energy.  During  the  first  eight  years  of  his 
superintendenc}',  following  the  year  1825,  when 
he  was  elected  bishop,  he  crossed  the  Alleghanies 
on  horseback  eighteen  times. 

In  1819,  Mr.  Kumler,  with  his  family,  immi- 
grated to  Ohio  and  settled  near  Miltonville,  in 
Butler  County.  When  his  house  was  completed 
he  dedicated  the  largest  and  best  room  to  the 
worship  of  God.  Here  services  were  held  and 
scores  of  souls  from  year  to  year  were  born  into 
the  kingdom.  His  own  children  were  converted 
at  an  early  age  and  united  with  the  Church. 
Their  lines  have  gone  out  wherever  the  United 
Brethren  Church  has  become  known. 

Bishop  Kumler  was  a  forceful  preacher.  ^'His 
gifts  and  graces  as  a  minister  were  somewhat 
peculiar,  though  not  easily  surpassed."  He  ex- 
hibited a  mighty  love — a  love  for  God  and  a  love 
for  his  fellow-men.  He  was  indeed  a  master  in 
Israel.  To  him,  probably  more  than  to  any  other 
man,  Bishop  Zeller  excepted,  the  Churcli  is  in- 

41 


Our  Heroes,  or 

debted  for  its  early  planting  and  training  in  the 
Miami  A^alley.  In  January,  1854,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  sevent^^-nine  years,  he  entered 
upon  his  reward. 

To  these  might  be  added  a  galaxy  of  otliers,  if 
space  would  permit,  who  deserve  a  place  on  the 
same  roll  of  honor.  Among  them  are  Daniel 
Trover,  Aaron  Farmer,  the  first  editor  of  the 
Church,  Francis  Whitcomb,  and  Christian 
Flinchbaugh,  the  ^Teter  Cartright  of  the  Miami 
Valley.''  These  were  stalwart  sons  of  nature 
and  mighty  in  holy  deeds.  They  were  strongly 
Characteristics  individual  yct  eminently  sane; 
***  ****  neither     learning     nor     ignorance 

Pioneer  *^  ^ 

preaciiers  made  them  mad.     They  told  good 

news;  they  brought  tidings  of  great  joy  into 
many  a  home  and  many  a  community;  they 
hated  sin,  but  loved  the  people ;  they  feared  God 
and  nothing  else  in  the  world.  The  following 
tribute  might  be  placed  upon  each  of  their 
graves :  ^^They  tamed  a  wild  people  and  brought 
them  and  their  children  to  the  strength  and  joy 
of  righteousness;  not  so  much  by  their  restric- 
tions as  by  their  convictions,  by  their  open  self- 
denial  and  abundant  labors,  their  manly  bear- 
ing, their  brotherly  kindness,  their  devotion  of 
mind  and  heart  to  the  work  of  saving  men  and 
women."  Within  thirty-five  years  the  one 
western  conference  of  1810  grew  into  eight,  and 
the  boundaries  of  the  Cliurch  were  extended 
westward  to  the  Mississippi  Kiver  and  beyond. 
It  is  only  by  tlie  study  of  local  United  Breth- 
ren history  that  an  adequate  conception  of  the 

42 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

labors  of  these  heroes  of  the  Cross  and  their  con- 
tribution to  American  civilization  can  be 
framed.  They  represented  the  highest  type  of 
Christian  character,  and  knew  the  joy  of  salva- 
tion. Wherever  an  early  United  Brethren 
appeared  there  was  proof  that  religion  did  not 
make  men  miserable.  Men  knew  them  as  thev 
walked  along. 

Mankind  is  wont  to  reverence  the  memory  of 
warriors  and  statesmen,  and  it  is  right ;  but  how 
much  more  should  the  memories  be  held  sacred 
of  those  who  by  loyally  placing  their  all  on  the 
altar  of  the  Christian  religion,  and 
^orthy  of         devotino'  a  Ions;  life  of  indescrib- 

Honor  ^  ^ 

able  toil,  hardship,  and  anxiety  to 
their  convictions  of  duty  to  God  and  man, 
finally  succeed  in  establishing  as  a  mighty  up- 
lifting power  for  the  intellectual,  social,  moral, 
and  religious  elevation  of  the  race — an  organ- 
ization  that  works  on  tlirough  the  centuries  to 
make  men  better  and  happier. 


43 


CHAPTER  IV. 

First  Missionary  in  Indiana. 

The  gifts  laid  upon  Christ's  altar  by  the 
pioneer  missionaries  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church  were  priceless  gifts,  and  the  divine 
Master  is  more  and  more  honoring  and  blessing 
them  to  enrich  the  faith  and  stimulate  the  zeal 
of  their  spiritual  posterity.  Among  these  early 
benefactors  who  wrought  nobly  as  true  nation- 
builders  was  John  George  Pfrimmer,  the  first 
United  Brethren  minister  in  the  State  of  In- 
diana. Few  men  have  been  a  greater  power  for 
spiritual  good,  have  endured  more  varied  expe- 
riences, or  have  left  a  more  enduring  name  upon 
the  early  missionaiy  work  of  the  Church  than 
has  this  hero  of  the  Cross. 

John  George  Pfrimmer  was  a  native  of  Alsace, 
an  old  German  province  on  the  Rhine,  ceded  to 
France  in  1648.  His  birthplace  was  the  charm- 
ing little  village  of  Bissheim,  near  Strasburg. 
He  was  brought  up  in  the  Re- 
Birth  and  formed  Church  and  was  educated 

Ancestry 

in  both  the  German  and  French 
languages.  He  studied  medicine  and  surgery 
and  entered  the  French  navy  as  a,  surgeon  at  the 
age  of  eighteen.  He  was  with  the  French  fleet 
commanded  by  Count  DeGrasse  in  the  West 
Indies,  Avhen  attacked  by  tlie  English  Admiral 

44 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

liOdney,  off  the  coast  of  Dominica,  April  12, 
1782,  which  fleet  consisted  of  more  than  thirty 
ships.  This  was  one  of  the  most  obstinately- 
contested  engagements  that  ever  took  place  be- 
tween two  nations,  being  kept  up,  without  inter- 
mission, nearly  twelve  hours.  DeGrasse  was 
totally  defeated  and  taken  prisoner,  having  lost 
three  thousand  men  and  six  hundred  wounded. 
In  that  engagement.  Doctor  Pfrimmer  received 
a  saber  cut  in  the  face,  which  mark  he  carried  to 
his  gxave. 

In  the  year  1788  he  immigrated  to  the  United 
States  and  settled  in  eastern  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  converted  in  the  year  1790  and  soon  after 
found  the  grace  which  Otterbein  experienced 
during  his  ministry  in  Lancaster.  Ere  long  he 
Conversion  ^^^^  upou  liis  heart  the  burden  of 
Call  to  the  call  to  the  ministry  and  at  once 

Ministry  began    to   preach.      "His   eminent 

fitness  to  preach  manifested  itself  in  the  impres- 
sions which  his  discourses  made  upon  his  hear- 
ers, and  in  view  of  his  education,  talent,  grace, 
and  commanding  powers  as  a  speaker,  he  was 
regarded  as  a  great  accession  to  the  strength 
and  influence  of  the  rising  Church.  Through  his 
efficient  labors  he  was  instrumental  in  bringing 
the  gospel  to  many  hearts  and  planting  the 
Church  through  a  large  part  of  western  and 
central  Pennsylvania." 

In  the  year  1800  he  began  his  labors  west  of 
the  Alleghanies,  and  after  eight  years  succeeded 
by  the  help  of  his  associates,  in  establishing  a 
succession    of    mission    stations    from    central 

45 


Our  Heroes y  or 

Pennsylvania  to  the  western  borders  of  Indiana. 
Beginning  in  the  Susquehanna  Valley,  he  moved 
westward  by  stages,  first  locating  in  Westmore- 
land County,  then  in  Somerset  County,  and 
finally  in  Washington  County. 
weri^ard  Under  his  ministry  a  gTacious  re- 

vival of  religion  took  place  in  1803 
west  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains  in  what  was 
called  the  ^^Glades.'^  The  meeting  at  Bonnet's 
Schoolhouse  was  especially  one  of  great  power. 
He  was  perhaps  among  the  very  first  of  the 
pioneer  missionaries  of  the  Church  to  visit  those 
communities,  and  out  of  these  early  beginnings 
has  grown  one  of  the  largest  and  most  influen- 
tial conferences  in  the  denomination.  In  his 
work  in  western  Pennsylvania  he  was  assisted 
by  Christian  Burger  and  Abraham  Draksel. 

In  1808,  following  the  tide  of  emigration 
tlirough  the  swamps  and  forests  of  Ohio,  he 
reached  Harrison  County,  Indiana,  where  he 
finally  settled,  without,  however,  intermitting 
his  itinerant  labors.  Here  he  entered  a  quarter 
section  of  land  upon  which  part  of  the  town  of 
Corydon  now  stands.  It  was  the  same  year  in 
which  James  Madison  was  elected  President. 
The  United  States  of  America  then  comprised 
seventeen  States,  Vermont,  Kentucky,  and  Ten- 
nessee having  been  added  to  the  original  thir- 
teen. The  population  of  the  entire  country,  in- 
cluding the  Territories,  was  about  seven  million. 
Almost  the  entire  population  at  this  time  was 
east  of  the  Allegliany  Mountains.  West  of  these 
the  settlements  were  few,  small,  and  scattered. 

4G 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionai'ics 

Harrison  Count}',  Indiana,  in  which  Doctor 
Pfrimmor  had  located,  was  organized  that  same 
year.  General  Harrison,  the  first  territorial 
governor,  appointed  him,  with  two  others,  as 
county  judges.  They  held  the  fii'st 
County  court \at  Corydon,   May  10,   1809, 

Judge  t  7  ^  7  7 

and  divided  the  county  into  town- 
ships, laid  out  roads,  and  licensed  ferries  and 
hotels.  Any  historian  who  undertakes  to 
enumerate  the  formative  forces  of  the  State  of 
Indiana  and  leave  out  of  the  calculation  Doctor 
Pfrimmer  and  his  immediate  coadjutors,  writes 
an  incomplete  history.  His  chief  work  was  to 
purify  society  in  its  genesis.  He  was  a  great 
foundation-builder  and  primitive  organizer.  He 
planned  wisely  for  the  superstructure,  but  had 
not  the  material  with  which  to  do  more  than 
begin  the  erection,  and  that,  of  necessity,  was 
simple  and  rude  in  his  lifetime. 

Doctor  Pfrimmer,  with  his  family,  reached 
southern  Indiana  when  the  country  was  an 
almost  unbroken  wilderness,  and  to  him  belongs 
the  honor  of  planting  the  first  United  Brethren 
First  u.  B.  society  in  that  State.  He  made  ex- 
chureh  tensive    missionary    tours    in    the 

in  Indiana  Wabash   valleys,   preaching  wher- 

ever an  opportunity  presented  itself.  With  the 
tide  of  emigration,  United  Brethren  families 
were  coming  to  find  homes  in  this  wilderness  of 
rich  soil.  These  were  sought  out  by  Doctor 
Pfrimmer  and  made  the  nucleus  of  United 
Brethren  churches.  From  his  wilderness  home 
he  made  at  least  four  journeys  across  the  Alle- 

47 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

giianies,  visiting  the  churches  in  Pennsylvania 
and  Maryland. 

He  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Miami  Con- 
ference. Soon  after  its  organization  a  district 
called  ^'The  Kentucky  and  Indiana  District" 
was  constituted,  of  which  he  was  appointed  pre- 
siding elder.  From  the  conference  of  1816, 
which  convened  in  Montgomery  County,  Ohio, 
Bishop  Newcomer  accompanied  him  into  Indi- 
ana. The  country  was  almost  entirely  without 
roads,  and  in  New  Lexington  they  were  obliged 
to  hire  a  pilot  to  conduct  them  through  the 
forests.  During  the  journey  Bishop  Newcomer 
made  the  following  entry  in  his  journal:  ^'We 
came  to-day  to  an  elevated  spot  of  ground,  from 
which  we  had  an  extensive  view  of  the  surround- 
ing country.  Here  I  humbled  myself  on  my 
knees  in  gratitude  to  God,  who,  in  mercy,  had 
preserved  me  in  the  wilderness  to  the  present 
time."  We  have  in  this  note  a  glimpse  of  Indi- 
ana more  than  ninety  years  ago.  It  is  not  prob- 
able that  those  venerable  fathers,  prophets  as 
they  were,  when  treading  the  wilderness  on 
Indian  trails  or  blazing  their  way  through  the 
pathless  woods,  guided  by  a  compass,  could  have 
believed  that  in  so  short  a  period  as  ninety-two 
years  a  great  State  would  spring  up,  and  that 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  which  had  then  a 
few  feeble  societies,  would  number  several 
strong  conferences  with  fifty  thousand  mem- 
bers. 

Doctor  Pfrimmer  was  a  courageous  man.  His 
elements  of  leadership  were  easily  recognized. 

48 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

He  was  brave  as  a  lion  and  at  the  same  time  one 
of  the  gentlest  of  men.  President  William 
Henry  Harrison,  who  was  his  personal  friend,  is 
reported  to  have  said  that  "Doctor  Pfrimmer 
had  all  the  genius  and  skill  of  a  military  leader, 
and  if  he  had  turned  his  attention  to  military 
affairs,  he  might  have  been  one  of  the  greatest 
generals  of  his  day." 

He  was  an  eloquent  preacher,  always  clear, 
concise,  and  scriptural.  His  fund  of  general 
knowledge,  it  is  said,  was  wonderful.  His  ser- 
mons were  highly  impressive,  instructive,  and 
abiding  in  their  effects.  He  had  a  broad  knowl- 
edge of  the  Scriptures  and  knew  how  to  T\aeld 
effectively  the  sword  of  the  Spirit.  As  an  evan- 
gelist he  was  strong.  "His  revival 
ETargeHst""**  meetings  were  as  the  harvest  is  be- 
fore the  reaper.  There  was  always 
a  reaping  and  a  gathering  of  fruit  unto  eternal 
life.^'  His  zeal  for  souls  knew  no  bounds. 
Neither  rains,  nor  floods,  nor  storms,  nor  any 
other  ordinary  difficulties  seemed  to  have 
daunted  him.  He  was  never  so  happy  as  when 
on  a  horse  going  from  place  to  place,  seeking  to 
tell  men  of  Him  who  came  to  save  tlie  lost. 
During  the  entire  period  of  his  missionary  life 
his  salary  ranged  from  |40  to  |100  a  year. 

In  1820,  Doctor  Pfrimmer  be^an  Sundav- 
school  work  in  his  new  church  at  Corydon, 
which  w^as  the  first  United  Brethren  church- 
house  west  of  the  Ohio  River.  So  far  as  is 
known  in  history,  it  was  the  first  United  Breth- 
ren Sunday  school  organized  in  our  Ziou.     But 

49 


Our  Heroes,  or 

it  is  clearly  evident  that  like  oro^anizations  had 
been  effected  by  the  Church  father  before  this 
date.  We  find  that  twenty  years  prior  to  this 
time  Doctor  Pfriniiner  was  engaged  in  this  same 
kind  of  work.  Bishop  Newcomer,  having  visited 
him  at  his  home  in  Pennsylvania,  makes  the  fol- 
lowing entry  in  his  journal,  dated  May  21,  1800 : 
^^To-day  I  came  to  Brother  Pfrimmer's. 
About  thirty  children  had  assembled  at  his 
house  to  whom  he  was  giving  religious  instruc- 
tion. Some  were  under  conviction.  I  also  spoke 
to  them.  Their  hearts  were  sensibly  touched. 
May  the  Lord  convert  them  truly.''  We  learn 
from  this  that  Doctor  Pfrimmer  believed  in 
child  conversion  and  that  he  regarded  the  chil- 
dren as  part  of  his  pastoral  fold.  Otterbein  and 
Asbury  were  giving  attention  to  the  religious 
education  of  the  children  much  earlier  than  this, 
but  it  is  not  fair  to  say  that  either  of  these 
Founder  of  o«r  Church  fathcrs  instituted  Sunday 
Sunday-school  schools  propcr.  Gradually  the 
American  Sunday  school  toolv 
shape,  and  it  was  during  the  opening  j^ears  of 
the  nineteenth  centur,y  that  there  was  breathed 
into  it  the  breath  of  life.  When  the  American 
Sunday-School  Union  was  organized  in  1824, 
careful  inquiry  failed  to  discover  more  than 
one  hundred  Sunday  schools  connected  with 
churches.  Doctor  Pfrimmer  has  the  distinction 
of  being  the  founder  of  Sunday-school  work  in 
the  United  Brethren  Church.  He  was  an  edu- 
cated, aggressive,  far-seeing  prophet,  who  laid 
thus  the  foundation  of  an  institution  wliicli  in- 

50 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

eludes  the  entire  denomination,  and  at  the  pres- 
ent time  outnumbers  it  b}^  twenty-three  per  cent. 
Next  to  the  Pfrimmer  Chapel  in  Oorydon, 
which  was  built  in  1814,  perhaps  the  Cross 
Roads  Church  in  Harrison  Count}-  was  the  most 
influential  of  the  earh^  mission  churches  of  In- 
diana. The  societ}^  was  organized  by  Jacob 
Antrim,  that  seraphic  singer  and  sweet  gospel 
preacher,  who  accompanied  Bishops  Newcomer 
and  Zeller  from  Pennsvlvania  to  Ohio  in  1818. 
In  the  ^liami  Valley,  and  especially  in  southern 
Indiana,  he  was  remarkably  suc- 
jacob  Antrim  ccssful  as  a  soul-wiuncr.  The 
Cross  Roads  church  was  the  scene 
of  many  a  triumph  for  the  Master.  It  was  the 
spiritual  birthplace  of  several  of  the  leading 
ministers  of  the  State.  The  followino^  account  is 
given  of  the  conversion  of  John  Flora  in  the 
early  history  of  the  Church :  "He  was  a  talented 
young  man,  of  a  skeptical  turn  of  mind,  well  in- 
formed in  infidel  literature  and  skillful  in  argu- 
ment. When  he  attended  religious  services,  he 
used  to  call  in  question  what  they  said  and  did. 
The  conversion  and  changed  life  of  an  old 
drunkard  in  the  neighborhood  set  him  to  think- 
ing. Discovering  the  old  reformed  drunkard  at 
prayer  in  the  woods  one  day,  it  set  the  infidel  to 
thinking  more  seriously,  and,  hearing  his  testi- 
mony concerning  the  power  of 
A  Remarkable    ^^^{^^1  to  savc,  ouc  day  at  the  Cros5; 

Conversion  "  •' 

Roads  Church,  almost  overcame 
liim.  At  the  same  service  a  pupil  of  his 
school,  a  young  lady  for  whom  he  had  great  re- 

51 


Our  HeroeSj  oi- 

spect,  gave  a  touching  testimony.  This  com- 
pletely broke  him  down.  His  skepticism  left 
him  and  he  went  bounding  through  the  large 
congregation,  crying  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
"Here  comes  a  Saul  of  Tarsus,"  meaning  that  he 
had  been  a  strong  opposer  to  the  Christian  re- 
ligion. He  fell  at  the  altar  of  prayer  and  was 
converted.  Later  he  entered  the  ministry  and 
accomplished  great  good  in  the  pioneer  mission 
work  of  southern  Indiana." 

Doctor  Pfrimmer  possessed  a  great  soul.  He 
was  a  man  of  broad  vision  and  ahvays  exhibited 
a  splendid  type  of  optimism.  A  grandson  who 
resides  at  the  old  homestead,  writes:  "Grand- 
father's life  outside  of  his  ministerial  work  was 
an  active  one.  His  practice  as  a  physician  in- 
cluded a  large  territory,  even  riding  as  far  as 
forty  miles  to  see  a  patient.  I 
A  Great  imagine  his  success  as  a  doctor  was 

Soul  » 

largel}^  due  to  his  cheery  nature. 
In  my  younger  days,  when  meeting  old  men, 
upon  learning  that  my  name  was  Pfrimmer,  they 
would  often  ask  if  I  was  related  to^  Doctor 
Pfrimmer,  and  when  I  answered  in  the  affirma- 
tive, they  Avould  say :  ^Well,  he  was  a  good  doc- 
tor, a  great  preacher,  and  such  a  jolly  old  soul. 
You  could  not  be  sick  long  after  he  came  to  see 
you,  even  if  you  did  not  take  any  medicine.'  "  His 
matchless  energy,  noble  unselfishness,  and  Chris- 
tian intrepidity  made  him  a  living  example  of 
that  higher,  nobler  life  into  which  he  constantly 
endeavored  to  lead  others. 

52 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

He  died  at  his  home  in  Harrison  County,  In- 
diana, September  5,  1825,  in  his  sixty-fourth 
year,  having  been  in  the  ministry  thirty-five 
years.  In  1824  he  made  his  last  visit  east  of  the 
Alleghany  Mountains.  In  May  preceding  his 
death,  he  attended  the  General  Conference, 
which  convened  in  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  business  and 
preached  with  his  accustomed  clearneSvS  and 
power.  After  the  Conference,  he  returned  to  his 
home  in  Indiana,  when  he  ex- 
A  Beautiful        presscd    the    conviction    tliat    his 

Death  ^ 

"race  was  run"  and  that  he  was 
soon  going  to  join  the  great  assembly  in  heaven. 
He  declared  that  his  hope  in  the  Redeemer  was 
unshaken  and  that  it  afforded  him  great  joy  as 
his  end  drew  near.  While  he  was  uttering  these 
words,  his  countenance  beamed  as  with  a  light 
which  was  visible  upon  him  in  death. 

His  body  sleeps  in  the  cemetery  just  across  the 
road  from  Pfrimmer  Chapel,  and  is  marked  by  a 
marble  slab  bearing  the  folloAving  inscription: 
^'Rev.  John  G.  Pfrimmer,  born  in  France,  July 
24,  1762 ;  came  to  the  United  States  in  1783  and 
settled  in  Pennsylvania;  then  removed  to  Indi- 
ana in  1808 ;  died  September  5,  1825.  Deceased 
established  the  first  United  Brethren  society  in 
Indiana.  He  rests  from  his  labors  and  his  works 
do  follow  him." 


53 


Our  Heroes,  or 


LESSON  I. 


Chapter  I. 

1.  What   can    you   say   of   the   origin   of   the    United    Brethren 
Church? 

2.  Name   some   of   the   sources   that   contributed   to    its   devel- 
opment. 

3.  When  and  where  was  Philip  William  Otterbein  born? 

4.  What  can  you  say  of  his  home  and  college  life? 

5.  What  can  you  say  of  the  line  of  ordination  in  the  United 
Brethren  Church  ? 

6.  When  was  Otterbein  called  to  missionary  work?     To  what 
field?     What  town? 

7.  Describe  the  home-leaving. 

8.  What  can  you  say  of  the  religious  conditions  of  the  colonies 
at  that  time? 

9.  What  new  experience  came  to  Otterbein  at  Lancaster? 

10.  When  and  where  did  our  denominational  Pentecost  occur? 

11.  When  and  where  was  the  denomination  officially  named? 

12.  What  of  the  heroism  of  the  fathers  and  their  work? 

13.  What   did   Otterbein   say   of   his   impressions   regarding   the 
permanency  of  the  work? 

14.  What  can  you  say  of  Otterbein's  life  and  influence,  in  the 
perspective  of  a  century? 

15.  What  was  Rev.   George   Lansing  Taylor's  tribute  to  Otter- 
bein? 

Chapter   IL 

1.  What  period  in  the  history  of  the  United  Brethren  Church 
closed  with  the  death  of  Otterbein,  Boehm,  and  Geeting? 

2.  What    period    in    the    history    of    the    Church    began    with 
Christian  Newcomer? 

3.  What  can  you  say  of  his  early  life?     Date  of  birth? 

4.  What  can  you  say  of  his  early  religious  struggles? 

5.  What    relation    did    he    sustain    to    the    founding    of    the 
Church  ? 

6.  What  were  some  of  his  leading  qualities  of  character? 

7.  What  can  you  say  of  him  as  an  organizer? 

8.  What    relation    did    he   sustain    to    the    itinerant    preaching 
system  of  the  Church? 

9.  How  many  times  did  he  cross  the  Alleghanies? 

10.  What   can   you   say   of  the   distances   he   traveled,   and    the 
perils  and  hardships  of  the  way? 

11.  What    does    Mr.    Spaythe    say    of    Newcomer's    work    and 
influence? 

12.  What  can  you  say  of  his  prayer  life? 

13.  Give  circumstance  of  Christian   Grumbling's  conversion. 

14.  Give    date   and    brief    review    of   Newcomer's   first   visit    to 
Ohio. 

15.  Give  date  and  incidents  of  his  first  visit  to  Indiana. 

16.  In  what  year  did  he  make  his  last  pilgrimage  West  ?     W^hat 
was  his  age? 

17.  Where  and  when  did  he  make  his  last  entry  in  his  diary  ? 

18.  What  period  of  his  ministerial  life  does  his  diary  cover? 

19.  Describe  his  death. 

54 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Chapter  III. 

1.  When  was  the  State  of  Ohio  admitted  into  the  Union? 

2.  Who  were  some  of  the  first  United  Brethren  missionaries 
in  the  new  State? 

3.  What  can  you  say  of  these  early  heroes  of  the  Cross  ? 

4.  When,  where,  and  by  whom  was  the  fii'st  United  Brethren 
society  organized  in  Ohio  ? 

5.  Where  and  by  whom  was  another  society  organized  about 
the  same  time? 

6.  Why  was  it  necessary  to  organize  a  new  conference  west 
of  the  Ohio  River? 

7.  When,  where,  and  by  whom  was  Miami  Conference  organ- 
ized? 

8.  What  was  the  original  area  embraced  by  the  conference? 

9.  How  many  additions  were  made  to  the  conference  in  a 
single  year?     How  were  these  results  achieved? 

10.  When  and  where  was  Andrew  Zeller  born? 

11.  What  can  you  say  of  his  early  history? 

12.  When  did  he  immigrate  to  Ohio,  and  where  did  he  locate? 

13.  When  was  he  elected  Bishop,  and  how  long  did  he  serve? 

14.  What  incident  does  Mr.  Spayth  give  of  his  personality  and 
intluencc  ? 

15.  What  can  you  say  of  George  Bedenum? 

16.  What  four  men   were  won  to   Christ  during  his  early   mis- 
sionary work  V 

17.  What  did  Bishop  Russell  say  of  him  as  a  preacher? 

18.  What  can  you  say  of  Bishop  Joseph  Hoffman  ? 

19.  Give  brief  sketch  of  the  life  of  Bishop  Henry  Kumler  Sr. 

20.  Give  some  characteristics  of  these  pioneer  preachers. 

Chapter  IV. 

1.  Who  was  the  first  United  Brethren  missionary  in  Indiana? 

2.  Where  was  John  George  Pf rimmer  born  ? 

3.  What  can  you  say  of  his  birthplace  and  early  education? 

4.  What  was  his  early  occupation?  In  what  great  battle  did 
he  pai-ticipate  ? 

5.  When  did  he  come  to  America,  and  where  did  he  locate? 

6.  When  was  he  converted,  and  called  to  the  ministry  V 

7.  When  did  he  begin  his  labors  west  of  the  Alleghanies? 

8.  Give  stages  of  his  journey  westward?  When  did  he  reach 
Indiana? 

9.  How  many  States  did  the  United  States  of  America  then 
comprise?  What  was  the  population  of  the  country  including  the 
territories? 

10.  What  appointment  did  Doctor  Pfrimmer  receive  from  Gen- 
eral Harrison,  the  territorial  governor? 

11.  When    and    where    was    the    first    United    Brethren    church 
organized  in  the  State  of  Indiana? 

12.  What  was  the  condition  of  the  country  at  that  time? 

13.  What  can  you  say  of  Pfrimmer's  courage  and  hardships  as 
a  missionary? 

14.  What  did  President  William  Henry  Harrison  say  of  him? 

15.  Who  was  the  founder  of  our  Sunday-school  work? 

16.  When  and  by  whom  was  the  Cross  Roads  Church  organized 
in  Harrison  County? 

17.  What  remarkable  conversion  occurred  at  that  place? 

18.  What  is  said  of  Doctor  Pfrimmer  as  a  physician? 

19.  When  and  where  did  he  die?     How  is  his  grave  marked? 


55 


,    .  CHAPTER  V. 

First  English-Spealcing  Missionary. 

One  small  life  in  God's  great  plan. 

How  futile  it  seems  as  the  ages  roll, 
Do  what  it  may,  or  strive  hov/  it  can, 

To  alter  the  sweep  of  the  infinite  whole. 
But  the  pattern  is  rent  where  the  stitch  is  lost. 
Or  marred  where  the  tangled  threads  have  crossed, 
And  each  life  that  fails  of  its  true  intent 
Mars  the  perfect  plan  that  its  Master  meant. 

— Susan  CooUdge. 

The  place  occupied  by  the  life  and  work  of 
John  Calvin  McNamar  in  the  early  development 
of  the  denomination  is  worthy  of  a  fine  apprecia- 
tion. The  call  of  the  Church  was  first  to  the 
German  people  and  churches,  and  to'  these  the 
labors  and  preaching  of  the  fathers  continued 
with    but    little    exception    until 

History"  ^^^^'  ^^'^^^  ^^^'  ^cNamar,  known 

in  history  as  the  "first  English 
preacher'^  of  the  denomination,  joined  the  Miami 
Conference.  The  time  had  now  come,  because  of 
the  preponderance  of  the  English  language  and 
the  new  religious  life  awakened  by  United 
Brethren  evangelists,  when  the  demand  for  Eng- 
lish preaching  was  imperative.  To  meet  this  de- 
mand and  to  open  to^  the  Church  this  larger  door 
of  usefulness  and  power,  McNamar  was  brought 
to  the  kingdom. 

From  the  time  he  entered  the  itinerancy,  the 
work  began  to  spread  into  the  English  communi- 

56 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

ties  in  Ohio  and  Indiana,  and,  indeed,  in  all 
directions.  The  number  of  preachers  who  could 
speak  the  English  language  only  was  rapidly 
multiplied,  and  within  six  years  eight  ministers 
were  added  to  the  English  force  of  the  new  con- 
ference. 

Mr.  McNamar  was  bom  in  Virginia  in  1779. 
No  record  is  given  of  his  early  life.  He  was  of 
Scotch  descent  and  his  religious  life  and  mis- 
sionary zeal  were  in  harmony  with  the  self-sacri- 
fice and  dauntless  courage  of  his  race,  which  has 
earned  high  distinction  and  achieved  large  suc- 
cess in  all  fields  of  missionary  service. 

His  religious  life  began  in  1811,  when  he 
came  into  the  community  of  Germantown,  Ohio, 
as  a  school-teacher,  having  been  employed  by 
citizens  of  Mr.  Zeller's  neighborhood.  He  form- 
erly resided  in  Fairfield,  Green  County,  and  is 
described  by  one  who  knew  him  as  "a  small, 
lithe,  sharp-visa ged,  witty  man,  careless  alike  of 
his  temporal  and  of  his  spiritual  interests.'^  The 
brother  who  went  to  Fairfield  with  his  large 
covered  wagon  to  remove  the  "schoolmaster,'' 
with  his  family,  to  the  new  theater  of  his  labors, 
was  much  surprised  and.  deeply 
party"^  gricvcd,  to  find  a  large  and  noisy 

dancing  party  at  his  house  giving 
him  a  farewell  visit.  Tlie  dance  occupied  the 
entire  night,  and  the  company  remained  until 
the  departure  of  the  family  for  Germantown 
in  the  early  morning.  It  was  at  a  meeting  held 
in  Mr.  Zeller's  barn  the  same  year  that  Mr.  Mc- 
Namar, under  the  influence  and  preaching  of 

57 


Our  Heroes,  or 

that  saintly  man  of  God,  yielded  his  life  to 
Christ.  .  Soon  after  his  conversion  he  experi- 
enced a  call  to  the  ministry, '  and  in  1813,  upon 
the  recommendation  of  Mr.  Zeller,  he  was 
granted  license  to  preach,  and  received  into  the 
Miami  Conference. 

To  the  present  generation  of  United  Brethren 
John  Calvin  McNamar  is  only  a  name;  to  his 
own  generation  he  Avas  for  many  years  a  marvel 
in  intelligence,  eloquence,  evangelism,  and  con- 
structive leadership.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century 
he  stood  high  in  the  councils  of  the  Church  and 
was  connected  with  some  of  its  most  important 
legislation.  He  was  a  delegate  to 
Elected  ^^^  ^j^.^,^    ^f^l     ^^^  gi^^i^  General 

Bishop  '  ' 

Conferences.  As  a  mark  of  the 
high  esteem  with  which  he  was  held  by  these 
bodies,  he  was  elected  to  succeed  Bishop  New- 
comer in  the  bishopric.  His  reasons  for  declin- 
ing this  responsibility  and  honor  are  not  given. 
Mr.  McNamar  has  the  distinction  of  having 
formulated  and  introduced  the  first  financial 
plan  for  the  local  congregation  in  the  history  of 
the  Church.  His  wise  statesmanship  enabled 
him  to  see  that  without  an  adequate  ministerial 
support  the  Church,  with  all  its  zeal,  would  run 
a  brief  race  and  produce  few  abiding  results. 
Author  of  Accordingly,  in  the  General  Con- 

Financiai  fercnce  of  1826  he  offered  a  resolu- 

^*"''  tion  which  required  the  presiding 

elder  and  the  preacher  in  charge  to  appoint  a 
circuit  steward  for  every  circuit,  and  that  each 
class  should  also  be  required  to  select  a  steward ; 

58 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

and  that  it  should  be  the  duty  of  these  officers  to 
make  quarterly  collections,  in  money  or  goods, 
for  the  preacher  in  charge,  and  report  to  each 
quarterly  conference.  After  an  extended  discus- 
sion the  resolution  was  adopted.  One  argument 
of  Mr.  McNamar  for  the  resolution  was  that  the 
year  before  he  had  received  the  meager  sum  of 
141.16  for  his  year's  work. 

Mr.  McNamar  is  spoken  of  as  a  preacher  of 
high  rank,  brave,  unpretentious,  practical,  and 
spiritual.  He  was  unsurpassed  in  his  qualities 
to  capture  new  communities.  There  must  have 
been  peculiar  power  in  his  preaching  and  a  pecu- 
liar adaptability  to  the  hearts  and  to  the  spir- 
itual needs  of  the  people.  Multitudes  flocked  to 
hear  him.  His  characteristic  Scotch  humor  was 
deliberate,  like  his  reasoning;  so  that  seldom,  in 
spite  of  its  exuberance,  did  he  suf- 

Characteristlcs      ^^^     -^     ^^     ^j^^^     ^|^^     ^^  ^^     j^jg 

as  Preacher  ^ 

serious  thought,  which  he  wielded 
like  a  flaming  sword.  Of  his  characteristics  we 
quote  the  following  from  Lawrence's  history: 
^^He  used  correct  and  forcible  language;  spoke 
slowly,  distinctly  pronouncing  every  word. 
Being  well  versed  in  polemic  divinity^  he  de- 
voted much  attention  to  the  exposition  and 
defense  of  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  Chris- 
tianity. .  .  .  His  sermons  on  the  divinity  of 
Christ,  often  preached  to  immense  congrega- 
tions at  camp-meetings,  made  a  profound  im- 
pression. It  must  not  be  inferred,  however,  that 
he  was  a  religious  pugilist,  devoting  his  whole 
time  in  the  pulpit  to  theological  disquisitions 

59 


Our  HeroeSy  or 

and  finding  his  reward  in  the  defeat  of  his  an- 
tagonist or  in  the  applause  of  his  friends.  Far 
from  it.  He  was  not  a  vain  theologian.  His 
object  was  to  save  men;  and  he  had  the  happy 
faculty  of  following  up  a  clear  exposition  and 
masterly  defense  of  some  great  truth  with  a 
heart-searching  application." 

Mr.  McNamar  had  the  evangelistic  spirit  to 
an  intense  degree,  and  the  spread  of  the  Ke- 
deemer's  kingdom  was  to  him  paramount  to  all 
things  else.  He  had  the  zeal  of  the  early  dis- 
ciples, and,  regardless  of  the  cost  to  himself, 
went  everywhere  in  his  large  frontier  parish 
preaching  the  gospel  of  the  king- 

Missionary  ^^^^  jj^     ^.^^     ^     ^^^     ^1     SUperb 

Zeal  ^ 

courage.  To'  him  even  roads  and 
paths  seemed  useless.  If  his  horse  could  not 
carry  him,  he  led  the  horse,  or,  leaving  him  be- 
hind, went  on  foot.  He  frequently  slept  in  the 
wilderness,  but  he  was  never  lost.  His  long  jour- 
neys were  often  made  extremely  difficult  by  unto- 
ward condition  of  the  roads  and  by  overflowing 
creeks  and  rivers.  As  an  itinerant  he  was  an  ex- 
ample of  punctuality.  ^'When  the  time  arrived  for 
him  to  start  to  an  appointment,"  says  George 
Bonebrake,  ^^he  was  off.  He  would  wait  for  no 
one,  and  listened  to  no  excuses.  Kain,  snow,  mud, 
swollen  streams,  and  floating  causeways — any  of 
these,  or  all  of  them  combined,  could  not  change 
his  purpose.  Nothing  but  a  physical  impossi- 
bility would  detain  him  from  an  appointment." 
"By  this  kind  of  work,"  says  Mr.  Lawrence, 
"he  planted  the  larger  part  of  the  early  English 

60 


United  Brethre^i  Home  Missionaries 

United  Brethren  churches  in  southwestern  Ohio 
and  southern  Indiana,  and  he  was  not  only  emi- 
nently successful  in  organizing  churches  and 
forming  circuits,  but  also  in  reinforcing  the 
ministry.  An  examination  of  the  minutes  of  the 
Miami  and  Indiana  conferences,  from  1814  to 
1834,  will  show  that  to  Mr.  McNamar,  as  an 
agent  of  providence,  the  Church  is  indebted  for 
a  large  number  of  the  most  effective  itinerant 
ministers  who  entered  the  ranks  during  that  in- 
teresting period  of  her  history." 

He  was  a  t;y'pical  itinerant  and  presiding 
elder.  He  believed  in  the  system  and  illustrated 
its  effectiveness  and  adaptability  by  his  life. 
The  old-fashioned  circuit  with  its  quarterly 
meetings  enabled  the  pioneer  preachers  to  reach 
the  people  in  their  homes  and  in  large  gather- 
ings; the  camp-meetings  so  admirably  suited  to 
the  genius  of  United  Brethrenism  and  the  social 
necessities  of  new  communities  brought  into  co- 
operation the  strongest  ministers  of  the  denom- 
ination— and  there  were  giants  in  those  days. 

Mr.  Spayth  has  beautifully  said:  "J.  C.  Mc- 
Namar, a  true  son  of  the  gospel,  determined  to 
march  in  the  front  ranks  of  the  ministerial 
army.  He  chOvSe  the  frontier  country  for  his 
field  of  gospel  labor.  To  forego  all  sorts  of  com- 
fort, to  range  the  forest,  to  carr;>"  the  gospel  to 
tlie  newly-arrived  inhabitants,  to 
A  Tribute  Seek    the    lost    and    scattered    of 

Israel,  was  his  employment,  no 
matter  how  poor  or  destitute  they  or  himself 
were.     ^liami,  Indiana,  White  River,  and  Wa- 

61 


Our  Heroes,  or 

bash  conferences  will  long  be  blessed  with  the 
increase  of  his  labors." 

He  had  none  of  this  world's  goods.  This  will 
be  understood  when  it  is  known  that  his  salary 
ranged  from  |40  to  |130  a  year,  and  that  he  had 
a  large  and  very  helpless  family  to  support.  He 
evidently  was  tested  by  these  hardships,  for  in  a 
letter  to  a  friend  he  once  wrote :  ^'I  want  faith, 
courage,  patience,  meekness,  and  love.  When 
others  suffer  so  much  for  their  temporal  inter- 
ests, surely  I  may  suffer  a  little  for  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  good  of  souls."  It  puts  fortitude, 
all-devout,  invincible,  into  a  missionary  to  be 
convinced  that  he  is  sent  of  God. 

In  the  year  1846  this  faithful  soldier  of  the 
Cross,  after  a  service  of  thirt^^-six  years,  was 
called  to  his  heavenly  reward.  His  body  sleeps 
in  a  lonely  cemetery  near  Jordan  Village,  Owen 
Count^^,  Indiana.  No  shaft  of  granite  or  marble 
marks  his  resting-place,  but  he  has  a  memorial 
more  enduring  than  tliese  in  the  ever-widening 
influence  of  his  good  and  useful  life. 


62 


CHAPTER  YI. 

First  Missionarij  to  the  ^^Black  BwampJ' 

Among  the  earliest  religious  workers  in  nortli- 
western  Ohio  were  the  pioneer  ministers  of  the 
Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  the 
first  of  whom  was  the  subject  of  this  sketcli. 
Previous  to  the  year  1823,  a  strong  tide  of  immi- 
gration set  in  toward  this  new  territory  of  tlie 
then  frontier  State,  and  among  the  early  settlers 
of  the  Sandusky  Valley  were  a  number  of 
United  Brethren  families,  including  some  local 
preachers.  These  pioneers  held  meetings  in 
their  resjjectiye  neighborhoods  and  prepared  the 
way  for  the  missionaries  who  were  sent  into  this 
region  by  the  Muskingum  Conference,  as  early 
as  the  ye^r  1829.  These  heroes  of  the  Cross  at 
that  date  had  a  string  of  appointments  extend- 
ing from  Mt.  Pleasant,  Penns^lyania,  to  Lower 
Sandusky,  Oliio. 

In  common  with  other  pioneers,  these  preach- 
ers endured  many  trials  and  privations,  and  per- 
formed much  toilsome  and  difficult    work    for 

meager  and  uncertain  salaries. 
xor°rohio         '^^^   n^et   with   abundant  success 

in  evangelistic  work  and  in  tlie 
temporary  organization  of  religious  societies; 
but,  owing  in  part  to  the  constant  sliifting  of 

63 


Our  Heroes,  or 

papulation,  they  did  not,  as  a  rule,  succeed  in 
establishing  permanent  societies  and  building 
church-houses  as  well  as  those  who  came  later 
and  labored  in  towns  and  villages.  Their 
preaching-places  were  mostly  in  private  houses, 
barns,  schoolhouses  of  log  structures,  or  in  the 
open  air  in  the  summer  season,  in  the  shade  of 
forest  trees.  Their  appointments  were  often  in 
widely-separated  neighborhoods,  connected  only 
by  winding  forest  roads  or  Indian  trails,  which, 
in  case  of  deep  snows,  could  only  be  traced  by 
the  "scotched  trees''  along  the  route.  These  pas- 
sages were  often  quite  impassable  on  account  of 
high  water  and  the  almost  inter- 
Difficuities  minable,  stickv,  black  mud,  some- 

of  Travel  7^7  7 

times  hiding  treacherous  beds  of 
quicksand.  These  preachers  usually  traveled  on 
foot  or  on  horseback,  and  preached  every  day  in 
the  week  and  two  or  three  times  on  Sunday. 
Their  meetings  were  as  well  attended  on  week 
day  as  on  the  Sabbatli.  Farmers,  in  those  days, 
cheerfully  left  their  work  to  attend  religious 
services.  In  times  of  "big  meetings"  they  came 
from  several  adjoining  neighborhoods,  even  in 
bad  weather,  and  over  bad  roads,  on  foot,  on 
horseback,  and  not  infrequently  in  large  wagons 
or  sleds,  drawn  by  ox  teams. 

In  the  year  1822,  Jacob  Baulus,  with  his 
family,  emigrated  from  Frederick  County, 
^laryland,  to  the  forests  of  the  "Black  Swamp," 
near  Tx>wer  Sandusky,  now  Fremont,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  the  first  evangelical  minister  to 
raise  the  gospel  standard  among  the  few  white 

64 


JtJHN   C    McNaMAK 


William  Davis 


JosKPii  Hoffman 


Jacoij  Ritter 


Al.FXANDKK    lilDDlJ 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

inhabitants  then  liviujr  in  that  section,  and  while 
the  aboriginal  race  had  yet  full  possession  east 
and  west  of  the  Sandusky  River. 

The  name  of  Jacob  Baulus  is  among  those 
which  appear  the  most  frequently  in  the  early 
Church  records,  many  allusions  to  him  occur- 
ring in  Newcomer's  journal.  He  shared  the 
warm  personal  friendship  of  Otterbein  and 
Boehm,  and,  indeed,  most  of  the  early  Church 
fathers.  He  was  a  member  of  the  conference  of 
1800,  which  convened  at  the  home  of  Peter 
Kemp,  two  miles  wast  of  Frederick  City,  Mary- 
land. This  was  one  of  the  most  important  gath- 
erings in  the  early  history  of  the  Church.  It 
possessed  the  character  of  a  General  Conference, 
and  had  much  to  do  with  shaping  the  future  of 
the  denomination.  In  1805  the  conference  con- 
vened at  the  home  of  Mr.  Baulus.  That  was  the 
last  conference  attended  by  both  Otterbein  and 
Boehm.    For  a  number  of  successive  conferences 

in  early  years  of  the  century  Mr. 
secretavT^         Baulus  actcd  as  secretary.  He  made 

it  a  rule  to  conclude  his  record 
with  a  brief  prayer,  the  following  of  which  is  a 
specimen:  ^^Lord  Jesus,  be  with  thy  servants. 
Mold  them  after  thine  own  image.  Give  them 
godly  zeal  and  untiring  faithfulness.  Let  thy 
virtues  shine  in  them  and  thv  liijht  shine 
through  them,  and  may  many  be  brought  to 
light,  and  we  will  ascribe  all  the  praise  to  God. 
Amen.'' 

Jacob  Baulus  was  born  March  10,  1768.     He 
was    of    German    descent,    his    great    ancestor, 


65 


Our  Heroes,  or 

Henry  Baulus,  having  immigrated  to  this  coun- 
try from  Germany  in  1735.  The  descendants  of 
this  honored  German  father  have  been  noted  for 
the  moral  and  religious  influence  they  have 
exerted,  the  extent  of  which  can  be  known  only 
in  the  great  hereafter.  When  a  boy  in  his  teens, 
Jacob  Baulus  consecrated  his  young  life  to  God, 
and  at  eighteen  years  of  age  entered  the  min- 
istry. 

On  the  Sabbath  after  re-aching  his  frontier 
home,  in  the  wilds  of  northern  Ohio,  he  felt  it 
his  duty,  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  to  use  his 
influence  to  have  the  Sabbath  day  properly 
observed.  He  went  around  the  little  town  and 
told  the  people  what  he  came  for — to  live  among 
them  and  have  them  live  as  Christian  people. 
He  went  from  house  to  house  and  store  to  store 
and  induced  the  people  to  close  their  places  of 
business  and  observe  the  Sabbath. 
Sabbath  Previous    to   his    comins^,    Sunday 

Observance  ~  ^ 

had  been  to  them  like  any  other 
day.  Several  families  residing  in  the  town  were 
considered  verj^  undesirable  and  dangerous 
people,  among  whom  was  a  Mr.  Dew  and  his 
family;  also  a  man  by  the  name  of  Sanford 
Maines.  Meeting  him  one  Monday  morning  in 
the  village,  Mr.  Baulus  inquired,  "Is  your  name 
Sanford  Maines?"  He  said  it  was.  "They  tell 
me,"  said  Baulus,  "you  are  a  set  of  horse  thieves, 
and  I  warn  you  to  take  care."  "What!"  ex- 
claimed Maines,  apparently  surprised.  Mr. 
Baulus  repeated  the  same  words  and  passed  on. 
The  next  night  his  buggy  was  taken  to  a  thicket 

66 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

and  burned.     Many  such  incidents  occurred  in 
those  days. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  this  was  only 
eight  years  after  the  close  of  the  last  war  with 
England,  at  which  time  this  whole  region  was 
overrun  with  the  British  and  their  savage  allies, 
the  Indians,  the  present  generation  can  form 
some  just  conception  of  the  hardships  to  be  en- 
countered and  privations  to  be  endured  in  enter- 
ing this  primeval  forest  to  estab- 
Enoouniered  ^^^^^  homcs  aud  lay  the  foundation 
of  a  Christian  civilization.  When 
it  is  further  considered  that  these  pioneers  cut 
the  first  wagon  road  from  the  Sandusky  River 
to  the  Muskallounge  Creek,  a  better  conception 
will  be  had  as  to  the  newness  and  wildness  of 
the  region  round  about,  Avhen  we  remember  that 
wild  game  and  wild  men  abounded  throughout 
the  territory.  Mr.  Baulus  not  only  preached  to 
the  new  settlers  whenever  opportunity  offered, 
but  he  opened  the  house  and  spread  his  table  for 
evangelistic  ministers  of  all  denominations. 

He  entered  a  large  section  of  land  in  the 
Black  Swamp,  as  is  shown  by  the  land  patents 
granted  him  by  President  Monroe  and  Jackson. 
Primitive  Mauy  of  thosc  old  parchment  deeds 

Metiiods  of  are  to  be  seen  now.  This  section 
Surveying  ^^  ^^^^    couutry   bciug   little    more 

than  a  wilderness,  survevs  and  survevors  were 
almost  unknown.  The  description  of  one  piece 
of  land  at  about  this  time  proves  this.  The  deed 
says,  "Starting  from  the  center  of  Muskallounge 
Creek  east,  so  many  turns  of  a  wagon  wheel."  It 

67 


Oar  Heroes y  or 

is  at  once  seen  how  very  indefinite  this  is,  as  no 
size  of  the  wagon  wheel  was  given,  and  it  has 
caused  considerable  controversy  as  to  how  much 
land  this  piece  contained. 

For  these  items  of  interest  we  are  indebted  to 
Mr.  J.  Burgner,  an  old  and  honored  citizen  of 
Fremont,  Ohio. 

From  1822  to  1829,  Mr.  Bauliis  devoted  much 
of  his  time  to  missionary  work,  making  many 
long  and  perilous  journeys  through  the  wilds  of 
the  country  west  of  Tuscarawas  County.  A 
number  of  preaching  places  were  established 
and  new  classes  organized.  In  1829  the  General 
Conference  recognized  this  growing  mission  and 
made  it  a  part  of  Muskingum  Conference.  At 
the  next  session  of  the  Conference,  Mr.  Baulus 
was  elected  presiding  elder  of  this  new  district, 
and  Rev.  John  Zahn  was  appointed  missionary 
to  aid  in  the  work.  The  following  year  Revs. 
Israel  Harrington  and  J.  Harrison  were  ap- 
pointed by  the  Conference  to  work  in  this  new 
district.  It  was  necessary  for  ministers  to  travel 
one  hundred  miles  from  the  borders  of  Mus- 
kingum Conference  and  through  a  wilderness  in 
order  to  reach  this  new  mission  field.  About 
this  time  the  forces  were  greatly  strengthened 
by  a  strong  current  of  immigration  from  Mary- 
land and  Pennsylvania,  among  whom  were  sev- 
eral United  Brethren  families,  including  a  half 
dozen  or  more  ministers. 

In  1833  the  General  Conference  authorized 
the   organization    of   a   new    conference   to    be 

68 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

known  as  the  "Sandusky  Conference.'^  In  May 
of  the  following  year  the  new  body  held  its  first 
session  at  the  home  of  Philip  Bretz  in  Seneca 
Sandusky  County.     Bishop  Heistand  organ- 

conference  ized  the  conference  with  the  fol- 
organized  lowing  ministcrs  I     Jacob  Baulus, 

George  Hiskey,  Jeremiah  Brown,  G.  Zook,  John 
Grum,  V.  T.  Tracy,  Jacob  Bare,  O.  Strong, 
Henry  Errett,  J.  Smith,  Lawrence  Easterly, 
Jacob  Cramer,  J.  Alsop,  Benjamin  ]Moore, 
Daniel  Strayer,  Israel  Harrington,  Jacob  Crum, 
Henry  Kimberlin,  and  John  Fry — twenty  in 
number.  At  this  early  date  no  statistics  were 
kept  of  members  received,  so  that  we  have  no 
means  of  knowing  what  the  membership  was  or 
how  rapidly  it  increased.  The  following  breth- 
ren were  admitted  at  this  first  session  of  the 
conference:  John  Davis,  Jacob  Garver,  Stephen 
Lilebridge,  A.  Winch,  J.  C.  Rice,  and  B.  F. 
Kauffman.  Thus  the  conference  entered  upon 
its  career  with  an  enrollment  of  twenty-six 
preachers.  Two  years  later  seven  fields  of  labor 
were  reported,  with  many  inviting  territories  to 
be  occupied  at  once.  Mr.  Baulus  was  greatly  re- 
joiced over  the  growth  of  the  work.  At  a  camp- 
meeting  in  1837  he  arose  and  said :  "Praise  the 
Lord,  fifteen  years  ago  I  was  tlie  only  United 
Brethren  preacher  in  this  district;  now  there 
are  more  than  thirty." 

Mr.  Baulus  was  an  influential  leader  and  a 
good  builder.  He  always  shared  in  the  largest 
measure  the  confidence  of  his  brethren.  By  his 
early  advent  and  labors  in  the  State  of  Ohio  he 

69 


Our  Heroes y  or 

became  the  father  of  the  Sandusky  Conference. 
The  sturdy  character  of  the  men  he  gathered 
about  him,  as  of  those  who  followed  in  their 
steps,  indicates  how  wisely  and  efficiently  he 
laid  the  foundations  of  the  Church  in  that 
region.  The  Black  Swamp  is  no 
Buuder  morc,  and  the  desert  has  literally 

been  made  to  rejoice  and  blossom 
as  the  rose.  Upon  those  early  foundations  has 
risen  the  largest  conference  in  the  denomina- 
tion and  from  the  few  scattered  members  he 
gathered  in  the  wild  forests  of  northern  Ohio 
has  now  grown  an  army  upon  the  same  territory 
twenty  thousand  strong. 

Father  Baulus  was  a  noble  type  of  the  hardy 
pioneer  preacher.  For  the  love  of  Him  whom  he 
served  he  welcomed  rough  tasks,  and  in  his 
name  cheerfully  went  into  dark  and  dangerous 
places.  During  his  early  ministry  he  traveled 
extensively  over  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  Penn- 
sylvania. After  coming  to  Ohio  his  voice  was 
heard  in  almost  every  community  where  the 
Church  had  an  organization.  When  preaching 
at  one  time  in  Cincinnati,  he  was  presented  with 
a  cane.  It  was  of  very  light  wood,  with  a  turned 
ivory  top.  Small  tassels  hung  from  it  a  short 
distance  below  tlie  handle.  The  cherished  relic 
is  now  in  possession  of  his  grandson,  who  resides 
in  Fremont,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Baulus  was  an  able  preacher.  ^'He  was 
higldy  distinguished  for  an  exemplary  and  pious 
life;  in  mind,  clear-sighted,  comprehensive,  and 
correct."     He  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions. 

70 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Faith  was  the  substance  standino^  under  his  per- 
sonality, and  that  faith  was  so  firmly  rooted  and 
grounded  in  the  Word  of  God  that  nothinii^  could 

move  him.  He  knew  his  Bible ;  his 
ilfiuenuai  semious  wcre  rich  in  gospel  truth. 

He  prayed  in  the  language  of 
Scripture ;  he  was  intensely  earnest.  His  armor 
was  always  bright ;  not  one  particle  of  rust  could 
be  found  upon  it.  His  enthusiasm  was  infec- 
tious; no  man  could  be  slothful  or  indifferent 
when  about  him.  He  despised  lukewarmness. 
His  faithful,  genial  spirit  endeared  him  to  all 
the  young  men  of  his  conference.  Age  Avas  on 
his  head,  but  youth  was  in  his  heart.  His  ph^^si- 
cal  strength  continued  until  he  reached  his 
eightieth  year.  This  is  marvelous  when  we  con- 
sider the  fifty-six  years  of  exposure,  of  self-sacri- 
fice, of  battle  with  stern  conditions,  and  of  cease- 
less effort  to  extend  the  Redeemer's  kingdom 
through  which  he  passed  in  his  missionary  work. 
The  last  four  years  of  his  life  were  years  of  great 
affliction,  as  the  result  of  the  privations  and  toil 
incident  to  his  pioneer  missionary  life.  On  the 
20th  of  April,  1851,  he  entered  upon  his  reward, 

having  reached  the  mature  age  of 
Evening  cicfhtv-four  vcars.     The  evening  of 

Hours  ^^       ^  •  ' 

his  life  was  beautiful  and  peaceful. 
Having  spent  himself  with  such  splendid  hero- 
ism, in  such  sublime  service,  he  was  able  to  say 
with  the  great  Paul,  as  the  sliadows  gathered, 
"I  have  fought  a  good  fiy:ht,  I  have  finished  my 
course,  I  have  kept  the  faith.  Henceforth  tliere 
is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness." 

71 


Our  Heroes,  or 

Among  the  heroic  colaborers  of  Mr.  Baulus, 
perhaps  Stephen  Lilebridge  did  more  than 
any  other  man  of  his  day  to  build  up  the  cause 
of  Christ  in  the  conference.  He  was  bom  Jan- 
uary 31,  1815,  converted  at  the  age  of  eighteen, 
and  united  with  the  Church.     Soon  he  entered 

the  ministry  and  for  eight  years 
^Jf^^jf/jjge  served  the  Church  faithfully  as  an 

itinerant.  ^^To  go  where  brethren 
had  yet  no  name  or  home,  and  where  Christ 
was  seldom  preached  by  any  minister,  and  still 
less  known,  was  his  peculiar  call,  as  it  was  his 
pleasure  and  delight.'^  During  the  eight  years 
of  his  missionary  life,  his  annual  pay  was  less 
than  |100,  with  the  one  single  exception.  He 
suffered  much  from  the  want  of  suitable  cloth- 
ing during  the  winter  season,  which  was  one  of 
the  causes  of  his  untimely  death.  From  his 
diary,  it  appears  that  during  his  brief  career  he 
preached  1,930  sermons.  After  forming  many 
new  societies  and  winning  hundreds  to  Christ, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-eight,  on  the  25th  of  May, 
1843,  he  went  to  his  reward.  Large,  indeed, 
would  be  the  list  of  other  heroes  of  faith  from 
Baulus  to  the  present  in  this  great  conference, 
who  deserve  a  place  in  these  records. 


72 


CHAPTER  VII. 

''The  Old  Man  Eloquent 

Among  the  names  which  stand  high  in  the 
annals  of  the  missionary  work  of  the  Church  in 
the  home  land  is  that  of  William  Davis,  a 
pioneer  in  the  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  and 
Iowa,  where  yet  some  live  to  speak  of  his  power 
as  a  preacher  and  of  his  rare  qual- 

Promlnent  .^.  ^^    ^^^^^    ^^^^    j^^^^.^         q^^    ^^ 

In  Hlstory 

our  bishops  has  said,  ^'William 
Davis  is  perhaps  known  more  widely  and  favor- 
ably in  the  history  of  the  Church  than  any  other 
man  save  those  who  were  intimately  connected 
with  its  origin.'' 

He  was  born  in  Ontario  County,  New  York, 
January  3,  1812,  the  second  son  and  fourth  child 
of  Ezra  and  Lucretia  Davis — good,  honest,  hard- 
working Christian  parents,  who  taught  their 
children  early  in  life  to  revere  and  practice  the 
tenets  of  the  Christian  religion.  This  early 
training,  by  constant  precept  and  example,  was 
the  means  of  bringing  all  the  family  of  children 
within  the  Church  early  in  life. 

It  was  during  the  early  boyhood  of  Mr.  Davis 
that  the  family  emigrated  to  Indiana.  About 
the  year  1820,  they  are  engaged  in  clearing  a 
homestead  in  the  wilds  of  the  southern  part  of 

73 


Our  Heroes,  or 

that  then  frontier  State.  When  less  than  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  young  Dayis  was  converted 
and  received  into  the  Church  under  the  ministry 
of  Eev.  Aaron  Farmer.  Soon  he  became  im- 
pressed Avith  the  duty  of  trying  to  save  others, 
and,  notwithstanding  his  extreme  youth,  he  at 
once  began  the  work.  At  the  organization  of  the 
Indiana  Conference  on  May  27,  1830,  he  was 
licensed  to  preach,  and  appointed  to  his  first 
circuit.  The  territory  comprised  several  coun- 
ties in  northern  Indiana,  with  twelve  appoint- 
ments. 

Clad  in  homespun  and  on  foot,  he  started  for 
his  circuit.  After  reaching  it,  the  distance  be- 
tween appointments  was  sometimes  so  great  that 
he  would  have  to  start  as  soon  in  the  morning  as 
it  was  light  enough  to  see  the  trail  (for  even  the 
Indian  roads  of  to-day  are  of  vast  improvement 
over    those    of    that    day),    taking 

His  First  with  him  for  a  lunch  some  corn- 

circuit 

dodgers  and  dried  venison,  this 
being  the  principal  diet.  With  his  Testament, 
he  prepared  his  sermons  as  he  trudged  along, 
often  singing  the  praises  of  his  Master  in  the 
beautiful  hymns  so  popular  and  soul-stirring  in 
those  days.  Once,  on  returning  home  from  his 
circuit,  he  enjoyed  a  treat,  the  like  of  which  up 
to  that  time  he  had  never  before  enjoyed,  as  he 

related  it.  Durino-  his  ab^^ence,  it 
^^^^^,  seems    that   his    fatlier   and    older 

Surprise 

brother  had  gone  to  Logansport, 
and  on  returning,  brought  back  a  gallon  of  New 
Orleans  molasses,  and  for  their  Sunday  dinner 

74 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

his  mother  and  sisters  had  prepared  the  follow- 
ing menu :  Extra  fine  corn  bread,  fried  venison, 
roast  pheasant,  butter,  and  New  Orleans  molas- 
ses. This  was  a  feast  that  was  remembered  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  his  days.  Wheat  bread  was 
a  luxury  not  to  be  indulged  in  by  the  frontier 
people  in  those  days,  and  New  Orleans  molasses 
was  a  treat. 

His  salary  for  the  year  was  not  sufficient  to 
enable  him  to  purchase  a  horse,  so  after  working 
several  months  on  this  frontier  charge,  and  with 
occasionally  the  benefit  of  a  borrowed  horse,  he 
hired  out  to  work  for  a  man  for  the  sum  of  eight 
dollars  per  month,  and  by  sO'  doing  obtained  the 
means  for  purchasing  a  preacher's  outfit,  con- 
sisting of  horse,  saddle,  bridle,  saddle-bags,  a 
homespun  suit,  and  a  pair  of  leggings. 

His  ordination  occurred  at  the  second  session 
of  Indiana  Conference,  when  less  than  twenty 
years  of  age.  He  was  by  that  conference,  which 
met  in  Harrison  County,  assigned  to  St.  Joseph 
Mission.  The  distance  to  be  traveled  in  making 
one  tour  of  the  territory  was  more  than  three 
hundred  miles.  He  went  to  it  on  horseback,  and, 
there  being  no  roads  leading  that  wayj  he  trav- 
eled by  Indian  trails  made  by  the  Miami  and 
Pottawottomi  tribes,  who,  when 
Indian  j     passcd  throudi,  were  just  going 

Tribes  ^  '  j  .->  o 

to  the  Government  Agency  to  re- 
ceive their  yearly  stipend.  Between  Logansport 
and  South  Bend,  a  distance  of  eighty  miles,  but 
two  white  families  lived;  and,  not  being  accus- 
tomed to  traveling  alone  among  the  Indians,  Mr. 

75 


Our  HeroeSj  or 

Davis  felt  himself  in  no  little  danger  when  meet- 
ing many  squads  of  from  ten  to  fifty,  often  in 
lonely  places  along  the  routes.  They,  however, 
did  the  young  missionary  no  harm,  and  he 
reached  his  mission  field  in  good  health  and 
spirits.  The  mission  embraced  three  counties  in 
Indiana  and  two  in  Michigan,  with  ten  appoint- 
ments, among  them  Elkhart,  Indiana,  where  he 
delivered  the  first  sermon  ever  preached  in  that 
town.  He  also  preached  the  first  sermon  in 
Michawatka,  which  at  that  time  consisted  of  an 
Indian  wigwam  and  several  scattered  cabins. 
His  salary  for  the  year  was  twenty-five  dollars. 

Mr.  Davis  was  elected  presiding  elder  when 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  served  in  this 
capacity  with  marked  ability  for  quite  a  number 
of  years.  He  was  one  of  the  principals  in  effect- 
ing the  organization  of  the  Wabash  Conference, 
the  first  session  convening  in  Parke  County, 
Indiana,  in  September,  1835.  Thir- 
wabash  teQB^  ministers  were  enrolled  and 

Conference 

six  circuits  were  outlined,  divided 
into  two  presiding-elder  districts.  The  elders 
chosen  were  William  Davis  and  John  Denham. 
Though  young  in  years,  Mr.  Davis  was  regarded 
as  one  of  the  wisest  and  safest  counselors  of  his 
times.  He  had  the  prudence,  the  foresight,  and 
firmness  of  age. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  while  on  his  way 
to  conference  in  1835  to  Miss  Charlotte  Miller,  a 
young  tailoress  of  Middletown,  Ohio,  who  was 
visiting  in  the  vicinity  at  that  time.  They  both 
rode  the  same  horse  to  the  conference.     Mrs. 

76 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Davis  proved  to  be  a  most  devoted  sympathizer 
and  helper  to  her  husband  in  his  missionary 
work.  Previous  to  her  marriage  she  had  earned 
and  saved  a  little  money,  and  with  it  they  pur- 
chased about  sixty  acres  of  timber  land  near 
South  Bend,  Indiana,  in  what  was  called  "The 
Thick  Timber."  There  a  humble  log  cabin  was 
erected,  into  which  they  moved,  and  here  for 
five  years  they  lived ;  but  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try w^as  by  no  means  abandoned,  though  but 
little  in  the  way  of  salary  resulted.  During 
these  five  years  sixty  dollars  represented  his  en- 
tire cash  receipts.  Mrs.  Davis, 
A  Heroine  bciug  au  cxpcrt  with  the  needle, 
had,  by  exchanging  her  skill  and 
labor  for  the  skill  and  labor  of  the  wood- 
chopper,  succeeded  in  having  forty  acres  of  the 
land  cleared  of  the  timber  and  made  ready  for 
planting.  The  farm  was  subsequently  sold  and 
the  proceeds  invested  in  a  stock  of  goods  at 
Bluffton,  Indiana,  around  which  town  the  work 
of  these  self-sacrificing  servants  of  God  centered, 
A  little  later,  through  the  treachery  of  a  part- 
ner, they  awoke  one  day  to  find  themselves 
penniless.  About  this  time  Mr.  Davis  had  been 
away  on  a  long  trip  and  had  received  very  little 
salary.  The  time  was  approaching  for  him  to 
asain  2:0  to  his  work,  but  the  last  morsel  of  food 
was  almost  gone.  Mrs.  Davis  noticed  that  he 
seemed  somewhat  cast  down  in  spirit.  Coming 
into  the  house  one  day,  he  said,  "My  dear,  I  have 
made  up  my  mind  not  to  go ;  I  cannot  think  of 
going  away  and  leaving  you  and  the  little  ones 

77 


Our  Heroes^  or 

without  the  necessities  of  life."  She  turned  to 
him  and  said:  ^'Go  and  do  your  duty;  go  and 
preach  the  gosjjel.  Don't  trouble  about  us ;  God 
will  take  care  of  us." 

Mr.  Davis  was  considered  one  of  the  most  elo- 
quent men  of  his  times.  Throughout  the  Central 
West  he  was  familiarly  Imown  as  the  "Old  Man 
Eloquent."      The    following    para- 
Xauent"  g^'^Pli  is  fi^om  the  pen  of  Col.  Rob- 

ert Cowden,  who,  when  visiting 
Lisbon,  Iowa,  in  1881,  attended  services  in  the 
church  where  Father  Davis  worshiped  at  that 
time :  "The  occasion  at  the  moment  was  a  com- 
munion service.  I  occupied  a  seat  in  the  rear, 
and  was  looking  downward  when  I  was  attracted 
by  the  sound  of  the  most  melodious  voice  I  had 
ever  heard,  uttering  the  most  gracious  and  elo- 
quent words.  On  looking  up,  I  saw  Father  Davis 
leaning  heavily  on  his  cane  and  in  the  act  of 
dismissing  a  table  of  communicants.  I  then 
understood  why  every  one  who  knew  him  re- 
marked his  voice  of  remarkable  sweetness  and 
his  words  of  matchless  eloquence." 

He  possessed  a  personality  of  great  charm  and 
strength.  He  was  five  feet  ten  inches  tall,  of 
spare  body,  but  large,  bony  frame.  His  face  was 
lean,  large  mouth,  broad  high  fore- 
characterLstics  head,  large  bright  eyes,  and  promi- 
nent chin.  He  was  of  mild,  pleas- 
ant manner,  and  friendly  smiling  countenance. 
In  the  pulpit  he  was  solemn,  deliberate,  and 
dignified.  His  words  were  well  chosen  and 
his   expression   of   thought  was   clear,  convinc- 

78 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

ing,  and  impressive.  A  coiumou  remark  about 
his  preacliing  was,  "William  Davis  can  say  as 
much  in  twenty-five  words  as  almost  any  otlier 
man  can  say  in  one  hundred  words."  As  a  pastor 
he  was  invariabh^  popular  and  successful — loved 
and  respected  by  all.  His  si>irituality  was  a 
charm.  In  conversation  he  always  introduced 
religion,  and  did  so  Avithout  giving  offense.  In 
evangelistic  work  he  was  eminently  successful, 
whether  as  circuit  preacher  or  presiding  elder. 

Some  idea  of  the  intensity  of  his  itinerant 
work  may  be  obtained  from  a  letter  written  by 
Mr.  Davis  to  a  friend  in  1846,  which  is  as  fol- 
lows : 

"A  few  evenings  ago,  while  sitting  by  my  fire- 
side, looking  forward  to  the  labor  and  exposure 
and  privation  which  I  must  endure  during  the 
conference  year  which  has  just  commenced,  my 
mind  was  carried  back  to  the  past,  whereupon  I 
hunted  up  my  old  diary,  by  the  aid 
Personal  ^£  which  I  rcaclicd  the  following 

Letter  ^ 

facts  and  conclusions :  That  I  have 
been  an  itinerant  minister  in  the  United  Breth- 
ren Church  sixteen  years;  that  I  have  traveled 
for  ministerial  purposes  54,200  miles;  that  I 
have  preached  (or  tried  to  preach)  5,110  ser- 
mons; that  I  have  received  as  an  earthly  remu- 
neration |652 ;  that  the  Lord  has  hitherto  helped 
me ;  and  that  it  would  be  wickedness  to  distrust 
so  good  a  friend  in  time  to  come. 

"My  time  has  been  spent  chiefly  on  the  fron- 
tiers, among  poor  people;  and  could  I  lead  some 
of  my  rich  brethren  along  Indian  trails  or  more 

79 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

dimly-beaten  paths  to  the  cabins  in  the  woods 
and  introduce  them  to  meanly-clad  parents,  sur- 
rounded by  almost  naked  children,  and  let  them 
worship  and  mingle  their  prayers,  songs,  and 
tears  around  the  same  altar,  they  too  would  love 
those  poor  brethren,  excuse  their  scanty  contri- 
butions, and  of  their  abundance  give  something 
for  the  support  of  the  missionary  who,  perhaps, 
with  ragged  clothes  and  naked  knees  (for  I  have 
preached  with  naked  knees)  is  preaching  on  the 
frontiers.  I  do  love  the  poor  pioneer  brethren 
in  their  cabins,  and  sympathize  with  the  mission- 
ary who  brings  to  them,  at  gTeat  personal  sacri- 
fice, the  bread  of  life;  and  if  after  death  my 
spirit  should  be  permitted  to  visit  my  brethren 
on  earth,  I  would  fly  on  speedy  wings  to  the  suf- 
fering missionary  and  whisper  consolation  in  his 
ears/' 

Who  can  read  these  utterances  without  feel- 
ing the  heroism  and  grandeur  of  his  character? 
He  was  a  hero  of  the  highest  order.  With  his 
undaunted  courage,  he  showed  great  tact,  as  the 
following  incident  will  illustrate:  One  day  he 
was  riding  through  a  dense  forest,  when  he  saw 
a  man  with  a  rifle  on  his  shoulder  approaching 
him.  Knowing  that  in  those  days  there  were 
highwaymen  infesting  the  forests,  and  noticing 
that  the  man  was  of  very  coarse,  rugged  appear- 
ance, he  did  not  feel  very  safe,  and 
Tactful  ^^  Q^^^  resolved  to  resort  to  stra- 

Captnre 

tegy;  so,  on  meeting  the  man,  he 
reined  up  his  horse  and  said,  "My  friend,  have 
you  seen  any  lost  sheep  around  in  these  parts?" 

80 


John  Rukbush 


Stephen  I.kk 


John  C.  BhMiiirr 


Jacob  B.  Resi.kr 


Thomas  J.  Connor 


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United  Brethren  Home  Mi^siona7'ics 

^^No/-  said  the  man,  '^I  have  not.  Have  you  lost 
any  sheep?"  "No,  sir,"  said  the  preacher,  ''I 
have  not,  but  my  Master  has,  and  he  has  sent  me 
out  into  this  new  country  to  see  if  I  could  find 
any  of  them."  "Then  3^ou  are  a  stranger  in  these 
parts,  are  you?"  said  the  man.  "Yes,  sir,  I  am," 
said  the  preacher,  "and  I  am  trying  to  find 
where  Mr.  Blank  lives,  for  I  am  to  preach  in  his 
house  to-night."  "Oh !"  said  the  man,  who,  after 
all,  had  a  big,  generous  heart  under  his  rough 
exterior,  "then  you  are  a  preacher,  are  you?" 
"Yes,  that  is  what  they  call  me,"  said  Davis, 
"but  I  am  just  hunting  up  the  lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel,  for  that  is  what  the  Lord  has 
sent  me  out  into  this  Tvdld  country  to  do." 
"Well,"  said  the  man,  "I  think  you  can  do  it.  A 
man  that  can  talk  to  a  stranger  as  you  do  is  the 
man  for  me.  Mr.  Blank's  clearing  is  just  a  mile 
away.  I  was  going  out  on  a  hunt  for  wild  tur- 
keys, but  I  '11  be  around  in  time  to  hear  you 
preach  to-night."  Mr.  Davis  thanked  him  and 
passed  on.  He  had  made  one  friend  and  cap- 
tured one  man's  confidence  by  his  tact.  True  to 
his  word,  the  hunter  was  there  to  hear  him 
preach  that  night,  and  in  due  time  was  converted 
and  became  one  of  the  prominent  pioneer  work- 
ers in  the  Church. 

^Ir.  Davis  availed  himself  of  his  early  advan- 
tages, meager  though  they  were,  to  obtain  an 
education.  Its  defects  were  constantly  repaired 
in  his  subsequent  life  by  diligent  study  on  horse- 
back and  beside  the  cabin  fires  of  the  new 
settlers.    He  served  for  a  brief  time  a»s  one  of  tlie 

81 


Our  Heroes y  or 

editors  of  the  Telescope,  and  in  1849  was  elected 
to  the  presidency  of  Otterbein  University.    This, 
however,    was   too   confining,    and 
College  after  one  year  we  find  him  launch- 

president  ^^^  .^^^  ministerial  work  again 

by  accepting  the  pastorate  at  Seven  Mile,  Ohio, 
where,  for  a  time,  in  addition  to  his  ministerial 
duties,  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  medicine, 
simply  to  meet  the  actual  and  increasing  wants 
of  his  family,  he  having  qualified  himself  for 
that  profession,  with  all  his  sacrifices  and  hard 
labor,  by  completing  a  course  in  the  Eclectic 
Medical  College  in  Cincinnati. 

There  came  a  time  when  he  found  his  profes- 
sional work  encroaching  upon  his  ministerial 
duties,  and  as  preaching  was  his  life  work,  he 
^ave  up  his  practice  of  medicine  to  accept  a  call 
from  the  church  at  Muscatine,  Iowa,  removing 
vdth  his  family  to  that  place  in  1862.  Here  he 
remained  two  years,  when  he  removed  to  West- 
ern College,  where  he  became  both  pastor  and 
president  of  the  college,  the  former  relations 
lasting  three  years  and  the  latter  about  two. 
During  this  pastorate  there  occurred  at  Western 
one  of  the  most  extensive  revivals 

Great  ,  , 

Revival  of  religlou  perhaps  ever  known  m 

in  Iowa  ^1^^  United  Brethren  Church  in  the 

State.  The  work  of  the  meeting  exhausted  his 
strength;  he  was  forced  to  retire  for  a  few 
months.  Early  the  next  year  he  was  appointed 
presiding  elder  over  the  whole  of  the  Iowa  Con- 
ference, which  relations  he  filled  for  three  years. 
During  this  time  he  removed  to  Lisbon,  wliere  he 


82 


United  Brethren  Hofne  Missionaries 

subsequently  became  pastor  of  the  Lisbon  con- 
gregation for  five  consecutive  years.  At  the  close 
of  this  term  liis  health  permanently  gave  way. 
During  the  four  closing  ^ears  of  his  life  he  Avas 
an  invalid.  On  January  31,  1878,  his  sun  set 
calmly  without  a  cloud.  At  five  o'clock  in  the 
evening  he  closed  his  eyes ;  then,  leaving  his  clay 
casket,  he  entered  upon  his  heavenly  reward. 
His  memory  is  a  precious  legacy.  Longfellow 
has  said  : 

"When  a  great  man  dies. 

For  years  beyond  our  ken, 
The  life  he  leaves  behind  him 
Lies  upon  the  paths  of  men." 

And  so  William  Davis  has  not  been  forgotten. 
The  life  he  left  behind  him  has  not  faded  out, 
but  has  been  growing  more  resplendent  as  the 
years  have  passed,  and  it  still  lies,  and  long  will 
continue  to  lie,  ''upon  the  paths  of  men,"  bright- 
ening their  way  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 


83 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  Pioneer  Missionary  in  Western  Pennsylvania. 

The  early  days  of  Jacob  Ritter  were  spent  in 
a  humble  home  near  Chambersburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  was  born  March  28,  1815.  Here, 
under  the  kind  care  of  a  good  father  and  mother, 
and  with  plenty  of  plain  food,  sunshine,  and  out- 
door exercise,  he  grew  to  be  a  strong,  bright  boy. 
As  a  rule,  indeed,  with  scarcely  an  exception,  the 
pioneer  missionaries  of  America  come  not  from 
homes  of  luxury,  filled  with  sunshine  and  the 
fragrance  of  costly  flowers,  but  from  homes 
j,gj.jy  where  poverty  has  made  them  fa- 

schooi  miliar  with  the  stern  realities  of 

Advantages        j.^^     jj.^  parcuts  Were  very  poor, 

but,  nevertheless,  had  high  ambitions  for  their 
son.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  was  placed 
in  the  family  of  his  brother-in-law,  residing  in 
Chambersburg,  where  he  was  given  the  privilege 
of  a  four  years'  course  in  the  high  school,  where 
he  laid  the  foundation  of  what  was  then  consid- 
ered a  fair  education. 

When  seventeen  years  of  age,  young  Ritter 
was  converted  in  the  old  stone  church  at  Cliam- 
bersburg,  where  a  great  revival  was  in  progress. 
It  was  near  midnight,  and  but  few  people  re- 
mained in  the  house,  when  suddenly  there  came 

84 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

a  joy  into  his  heart  such  as  he  had  never  before 
experienced.  So  clear  to  him  was  his  acceptance 
with  God  that  he  never  thereafter  doubted  the 
reality  of  experimental  religion.  A  few  weeks 
later  he  united  with  the  Church  and  at  once  be- 
gan religious  work.  During  the  same  year  he 
was  given  license  to  exhort,  and  though  a  mere 
boy,  he  attracted  much  attention  as  a  public 
speaker.  We  have  the  following  account,  from 
his  own  pen,  of  his  first  sermon : 

"We  were  having  a  great  meeting  in  Green- 
castle.  Brother  Glossbrenner  was  there.  He  was 
quite  a  young  man  then.  Brother  Reinhart  was 
also  present  and  assisted  in  the  meetings.  Much 
interest  was  awakened  among  the  colored  people 
at  the  same  time,  and  they  called  on  us  to  give 
them  preaching  every  night.  Brother  Glossbren- 
ner sent  me  to  preach  to  them.  A  large  number 
of  white  i>eople  attended.  The  text  selected  was, 
"Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and 


'-7 
Sermon 


First  knock.''  Before  I  went,  I  prayed  to 


God  in  my  closet  that  if  he  wanted 
me  to  preach,  he  should  indicate  it  to  me  by  giv- 
ing me  some  converts  that  night.  Although  I 
had  been  deeply  impressed  prior  to  this,,  yet  then 
and  there  God  blessed  me  powerfully.  There 
were  eleven  seekers  at  the  altar  and  seven  con- 
versions, while  many  others  were  made  to  re- 
joice." 

In  1833,  a  few  months  later,  he  attended  the 
conference  at  Millarsburg,  Laiica>ster  County, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  given  license  to 
preach.    At  that  conference,  pressing  calls  came 


85 


Our  Heroes^  or 

from  the  mountain  regions  in  tlie  western  part 
of  the  State,  where  some  of  our  people  had 
located.  In  response  to  these  calls,  Mr.  Ritter 
was  appointed  to  what  was  then  called  Hunting- 
ton Circuit,  although  not  at  this  time  a  properlj- 
organized  circuit.  The  field  embraced  the  larger 
part  of  six  counties,  was  about  three  hundred 
miles  in  circumference,  with  but  one  small 
church-house  and  a  class  of  thirteen  members  at 
Bellefonte.  A  large  field,  therefore,  Y\^as  opened, 
in  which  the  boy  preacher  could  test  his  mettle. 
Had  he  not  possessed  grit  and  push,  he  would 
have  given  up  at  the  sight  of  such  work. 

In  those  days,  comparatively  little  attention 
was  given  to  the  matter  of  organization  or  the 
formation  of  classes.  So  absorbed  were  the  mis- 
sionaries in  the  work  of  evansjelism  that  thev 
seldom  took  time  to  number  Israel.  To  this  work 
Mr.  Ritter  devoted  himself  with  all  the  ardor  of 
his  soul.  It  was  in  harmony  with  his  usual 
sagacity  and  foresight,  which  an- 
An  Organizer  ticipatcd  SO  mauy  of  the  institu- 
tions and  departments  of  Church 
work  in  later  times.  He  went  from  house  to 
house,  talking  and  praying  with  those  who  pro- 
fessed conversion,  and  who  claimed,  after  a 
fashion,  to  have  a  membership  in  the  Church,  as 
well  as  with  others  whose  bias  was  in  our  favor. 
Within  six  months  the  boy  preacher  had  col- 
lected over  one  hundred  names,  which  he  formed 
into  classes  and  organizations.  Later  he  received 
others  into  the  Church  publicly.  During  tlie 
year   he   held   a   camp-meeting   on   the   circuit, 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

which  resulted  in  seventj-five  conversions,  sixty 
of  whom  united  with  the  Church.  Prejudice 
against  the  work  gradually  subsided,  and  Mr. 
Kitter  went  to  conference  the  following  year  to 
report  a  membership  on  the  mission  of  above  two 
hundred.  The  territory  he  then  traveled  has 
since  develo^Ded  into  eight  circuits  and  six  sta- 
tions. 

Another  new  department  introduced  by  Doc- 
tor Iiitter  was  that  of  ministerial  support.  It 
had  been  the  custom  of  the  early  fathers  to 
preach  without  demanding  a  salary.  As  a  rule, 
they  had  other  sources  of  income.  Doctor  Ritter 
gave  his  entire  time  to  the  work  and  had  no  other 
means  of  support.  The  Methodist  Church  w^as 
also  passing  through  this  same  stage  of  transi- 
tion. Bishop  Asbury  preached  many  years  for 
the  small  sum  of  sixty  dollars  a 
Constructive       ^.^^^    Doctor  Rlttcr  advocated  that 

ministerial  support  was  absolutely 
essential,  and  in  harmony  with  the  divine  plan 
in  the  evangelization  of  the  world.  It  was  under 
protest  that  he  first  asked  the  people  for  free- 
will offerings  for  the  support  of  his  w^ork.  When 
introducing  those  new  measures,  he  manifested 
a  noble  Christian  spirit  and  showed  great  ability 
in  meeting  and  subduing  opposing  elements. 
Durins^  the  second  vear  of  his  work  on  the  charge 
he  succeeded  in  installing  stewards  at  each  ap- 
pointment. For  some  time  following,  at  several 
of  the  appointments,  the  doors  were  closed 
ag'ainst  him  on  this  account,  but  he  continued  his 
work  Avith  even  greater  diligence,  preaching  in 

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Our  Heroes^  or 

private  homes  and  in  the  open  air,  where  souls 
were  saved  and  added  to  the  Church  at  almost 
everj^  service. 

Doctor  Ritter  was  also. a  leading  spirit  in  the 
pioneer  educational  work  of  the  Church.  He  has 
the  distinguished  honor  of  having  taken  the  first 
definite  steps  toward  the  establishment  of  an 
Pioneer  in  iustitutiou    of    learning.      In    this 

Educational  niovement  he  was  heartily  sup- 
ported by  Isaiah  Potter,  J.  R.  Sitt- 
man,  J.  Wallace,  I.  J.  Huber,  W.  Beighel,  and 
J.  B.  Ressler. 

The  folloAving  resolutions  appear  in  the  Alle- 
gheny Conference  Minutes  of  1847 : 

''Resolved,  That  this  conference  take  into  con- 
sideration the  propriety  of  erecting  a  literary  in- 
stitution to  be  located  where  this  conference  may 
direct,  for  the  education  of  our  young  people, 
and  that  said  institution,  with  all  pertaining  to 
it,  to  be  under  the  direction  and  control  of  this 
conference.  (Signed)  J.  Ritter." 

''Resolved,  That  this  conference  now  take  some 
efflcient  measure  to  carry  this  project  into  opera- 
tion, such  as  the  electing  of  trustees  and  an 
agent  who  shall  travel  to  solicit  funds  for  the 
support  of  said  project.      ( Signed)  I.  Potter," 

"Resolved,  That  Brother  Jacob  Ritter  be  ap- 
pointed traveling  agent  to  travel  during  the 
present  year  through  the  conference  district  to 
solicit  donations  to  be  appropriated  to  the  build- 
ing of  a  literary  institution  of  learning. 

"(Signed)  I.  J.  kuBER." 

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United  Brcilircn  Home  Missionaries 

"Resolved,  That  any  minister  of  our  confer- 
ence who  opposes  Brother  Ritter  in  the  collec- 
tion of  funds  for  the  contemplated  institution  or 
exerts  an  influence  against  him,  shall  be  liable  to 
charges."  (Signed)  I.Potter." 

Before  the  adjournment  of  the  conference  in 
which  the«e  resolutions  were  introduced  and  en- 
dorsed, and  notwithstanding  the  opposition 
which  was  asserted,  |1,800  was  secured  on  the 
conference  floor  with  which  to  begin  the  enter- 
prise. 

Doctor  Ritter  has  justly  won  for  himself  a 
place  among  the  heroes  in  the  pioneer  work  of 
the  Church.  He  served  twenty-four  years  as  an 
itinerant  in  the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania, 
where  his  salary  averaged  scarcely  one  hundred 
dollars  a.  year.  The  traveling,  including  thou- 
sands of  miles  per  year,  w^as  done  on  foot  or  on 
horseback.  He  moved  about  once 
Pioneer  -^^  ^^.^  vcars,  somctimcs  a  distance 

Itinerant  *-  ' 

of  one  hundred  miles  in  a  road 
w^agon.  He  was  the  founder  of  several  of  the 
largest  and  most  influential  churches  in  the  con- 
ference. He  built  the  first  church  in  Johnstown, 
where  he  found  ten  members  and  no  class  organ- 
ized. He  was  placed  there  as  a  missionary,  the 
conference  appropriating  fifteen  dollars  the  first 
year,  after  which  this  small  appropriation  was 
withdrawn. 

Doctor  Ritter  spared  himself  in  nothing,  but 
gave  himself  fully  to  God.  He  had  a  will  that 
w^as  once  his  owm,  but  he  transferred  it  to  the 

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Our  Heroes y  or 

keeping  and  guidance  of  the  Lord,  wliose  faith- 
ful servant  he  was.  When  he  entered  tlie  minis- 
try, he  had  a  good  horse  and  about  two  hundred 
dollars  in  money ;  when  he  located,  after  twenty- 
four  years  of  missionary  service,  all  that  he  had 
received  from  the  Church  and  all  his  own  money, 
even  his  w^atch,  were  gone.  He  knew  the  mean- 
ing of  poverty  and  suffering,  his  family  living  on 
bread  and  water,  potatoes  and  molasses  and 
garden  teas,  without  a  cent  of  money  in  the  house 
for  weeks  at  a  time. 

He  was  a  preacher  of  unusual  power,  swaying 
the  people  hj  the  force  of  his  emotion,  eloquence, 
and  earnestness.  He  was  also  a  most  tender  and 
successful  pastor.  When  located  where  it  could 
be  done,  he  vvould  visit  the  sick,  not  only  in  the 
town,  but  would  make  long  journeys  in  the  new 
mountain  territories  in  order  to  whisper  the  mes- 
sage of  salvation  into  the  ears  of 
Pastor**^  the  suffering  and  dying.    He  was 

always  kindly  received  and  saw 
many  blessed  of  God  on  their  sick-beds.  Indeed, 
he  was  considered  a  master  in  the  art  of  pastoral 
visiting.  His  custom  was,  after  greeting  the 
family,  to  speak  a  few  words  of  comfort  and  en- 
couragement, probably  reading  a  few  verses  of 
scripture,  and  always  invoking  the  peace  of 
heaven  upon  the  home.  On  one  occasion,  when 
passing  through  a  certain  town,  he  stopped  to 
visit  the  proprietor  of  a  hotel,  a  very  worldly 
gentleman.  He  was  kindly  received  and  invited 
to  remain  for  dinner.  Before  leaving.  Doctor 
Ritter  remarked  that  it  was  always  his  custom  to 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

have  a  few  words  of  prayer  on  such  occasions. 
The  gentleman  was  manifestly  embarrassed  by 
the  statement,  and  said  that  he  had  thirteen 
boarders  who  were  at  that  time  in  the  barroom, 
and  that  he  did  not  know  how  it  would  strike 
them.  ^'Oh,"  said  the  preacher,  "I  will  make  that 
all  right,-'  and,  entering  the  barroom,  he  invited 
them  to  come  in  for  the  service.  All  were  sub- 
dued by  the  presence  of  the  man  of  God  and 
readily  consented  to  his  request.  Among  them 
was  a  music-teacher,  whom  the  preaclier  invited 
to  sing  a  few  verses,  after  which  the  minister 
offered  a  fervent  prayer.  All  were  melted  to 
tears,  and,  on  leaving,  the  music-teacher  pressed 
a  little  paper  into  the  hand  of  Mr.  Ritter,  wliich 
contained  |7.50,  remarking  that  his  mother  was  a 
praying  woman  and  that  the  prayer  had  awak- 
ened tender  memories  and  had  deeply  touched 
his  heart. 

The  roads  in  the  mountain  district  where  ]Mr. 
Ritter  traveled  were  in  bad  condition.  He 
writes:  ''I  never  stuck  in  the  mud  as  did  ^h\ 
Cart  Wright,  but  several  times  I  had  to  swim  my 
horse  across   the   swollen  streams.     I   put   my 

saddle-pockets  over  my  shoulders, 
Hardships  got  up  ou  my  kuecs  in  the  saddle, 

and  Avent  over  safely.  Frequently 
I  slept  in  garrets  covered  with  clapboards, 
through  which  the  snow  sifted,  while  the  winds 
blew,  and  in  the  morning  my  bed  would  be  cov- 
ered with  snow  and  sleet."  He  was  a  man  of 
action  and  would  surmount  seemingly  unsur- 
mountable  difficulties  in  order  to  meet  his  en- 

91 


Ou7^  Heroes^  or 

gagements.  During  the  twenty-four  years  of  his 
itinerant  life  he  claims  to  have  missed  only  one 
appointment,  a  blinding  snowstorm  and  drifted 
snow  hedging  up  his  way. 

Doctor  Kitter  was  a  close  student.  For  several 
years  he  devoted  most  of  his  little  income  to  the 
purchase  of  books.  During  the  early  period  of 
his  ministry  he  secured  Fletcher's  Notes,  Wat- 
son's Institutes,  Brown's  Biblical  Dictionary, 
the  works  of  Josephus,  and  Clark's  Commentary. 
He  was  an  able  writer.  His  productions,  both 
in  the  Telescope  and  in  book  form, 
A  student  bcar  the  stamp  of  scholarship  and 

careful  research.  He  was  a  wise, 
far-seeing,  and  aggressive  man ;  his  schemes  were 
large;  his  faith  was  strong,  his  labors  unremit- 
ting, and  he  deservedly  held  a  high  place  in  the 
thought  and  confidence  of  his  colaborers. 

In  1850,  Doctor  Bitter  located  and  moved  to 
Liverpool,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  took  up  the 
practice  of  medicine  and  became  eminently  suc- 
cessful as  a  physician.  He  then  had  the  misfor- 
tune to  have  his  home  burned,  with  all  of  his 
possessions.  His  turning  away  from  the  ministry 
became  a  matter  of  future  regret.  Speaking  in  a 
conference  session  some  years  later,  his  heart 
was  broken,  when  he  remarked :  ^^Let  me  here 
say  that  although  I  was  literally  starved  out  of 
the  field,  yet  I  have  regretted  a  thousand  times 
that  I  located.  Since  that  time  my  sea  has  been 
a  rough  one,  and  although  I  still  try  to  preach 
and  heal  the  sick  and  often  do  some  good,  I  hope, 
in  talking  and  praying  with  the  dying,  yet  the 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

command,  'Go  preach/  seems  constantly  before 
me.  I  speak  from  a  sad  experience.  Brethren, 
called  of  God  to  the  ministry,  do  not  locate." 
From  his  final  report  to  his  conference,  we  insert 
the  following : 

"Brethren  of  the  conference,  we  have  no  reason 
to  be  discouraged,  for  it  is  but  a  few  years  since 
we  organized  in  these  mountains,  at  which  time 
we  had  to  beard  the  lion  and  hear  the  yell  of  the 
panther;  had  but  a  few  members,  some  two  or 
three  circuits,  half  a  meeting-house, 
Rlport  ^^^  ^  ^^^  preachers;   but,  few  as 

they  were,  they  felt  their  commis- 
sion written  in  letters  of  fire  on  their  hearts,  and, 
under  God,  we  have  prospered.  We  have  at  pres- 
ent more  than  fifty  preachers,  about  thirty  meet- 
ing-houses, twelve  circuits,  two  stations,  one  mis- 
sion, about  four  thousand  members,  and  at 
present  have  invitations  to  the  State  of  New 
York  and  in  almost  every  conceivable  direction, 
and  to  some  of  the  greatest  cities  of  our  Union. 
The  Lord  who  calmed  the  sea  and  shook  the 
ocean  will  make  the  world  know  that  he  is  our 
God  and  that  we  are  not  the  least  among  the 
nations." 

On  the  morning  of  February  4,  1901,  having 
reached  the  mature  age  of  eighty-five  years,  ten 
months,  and  six  days,  this  veteran  soldier  of  the 
Cross  was  released  from  service  to  enter  upon 
his  reward  in  heaven.  He  died  at  Liverpool, 
Pennsylvania.  His  body  sleeps  in  the  beautiful 
little  cemetery  of  that  mountain  town,  awaiting 
the  resurrection  morning. 

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Our  Heroes^  or 


LESSON  IE. 


Chapter  V. 

1.  What  place  did  John  Calvin  McNamar  occupy  in  the  early 
development  of  the  denomination? 

2.  When  was  he  born,  and  of  what  nationality  was  he? 

3.  Where,  and  under  what  circumstances  was  he  converted? 

4.  Whom  was  he  elected  to  succeed  as  Bishop? 

5.  Of  what  financial  plan  was  he  the  author? 

6.  What  can  you  say  of  him  as  a  preacher? 

7.  What  can  you  say  of  his  power  with  men? 

8.  Give  brief  statement  of  his  missionary  zeal. 

9.  What  did  Rev.  George  Bonebrake  say  of  him? 

10.  In  what  special  work  was  he  peculiarly  effective? 

11.  What  was  Mr.  Spayth's  tribute  to  McNamar? 

12.  When  and  where  did  he  die?     Where  was  he  buried? 

Chapter  VI. 

1  Who  were  among  the  first  missionai-ies  of  north  Ohio? 

2.  What  were  some  of  the  difliculties  of  travel  ? 

3.  Who  was  the  first  missionary  in  the  "Black  Swamp"  ? 

4.  What  can  yom  say  of  Jacob  Baulus  prior  to  his  coming  to 
Ohio? 

5.  When   did  he   reach   his   frontier  home,    and   what   was   his 
first  work? 

6.  Describe  the  coaditions  he  met  in  his  mission  field. 

7.  Who  were  some  of  his  first  helpers? 

8.  When   was    Sandusky   Conference   organized,    and   with   how 
many  members? 

9.  What  can  you  say  of  Jacob  Baulus  as  a  b«ilder? 

10.  To  what  special  things  may  his  influence  be  attributed? 

11.  What  of  his  term  of  service  and  the  spirit  of  this  hero  of 
the  Cross? 

12.  What  was  his  dying  testimony? 

13.  Who    is    mentioned    as    one    of    Mr.    Baulus'    most    helpful 
eolaborers  ? 

14.  What  is  said  of  the  work  of  Stephen  Lilebridge? 

Chapter  VII. 

1.  What   is  said   of  the   prominence   of  William   Davis   in   the 
history  of  the  Church? 

2.  When   and    where   was   he   born,    and   what    was   his   early 
training  ? 

3.  When  Yras  he  converted  and  when  did  he  begin  his  ministry? 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

4.  When  was  Indiana  Conference  organized? 

5.  Describe  Mr.   Davis  as  he  started  to  his  first   circuit,   and 
the  perils  of  the  journey. 

6.  What   happy   surprise  did   his   mother   and    sisters   arrange 
for  him  on  his  return? 

7.  How  did  lie  purchase  his  first  "preacher's  outfit"  ? 

8.  Describe  his  journey  to  St.   Joseph  mission. 

9.  In  what  towns  in  northern   Indiana  was  he  the  first  min- 
ister to  preach  the  gospel? 

10.  When  was  Wabash  Conference  organized? 

11.  Name  some  of  the  trials  that  came  to  Mr.  Davis  during  his 
ministry  in  north  Indiana. 

12.  What  can  you  say  of  him  as  a  preacher? 

13.  What  incident  is  given  of  his  tactful  capture  of  a  man  ? 

14.  In  what  different  capacities  did  he  serve  the  Church ': 

15.  What  can  you  say  of  him  as  presiding  elder  and  evangelist  ? 

Chapter  VIII. 

1.  When  and  where  was  Jacob  Ritter  born  ; 

2.  What  were  his  early  school  advantages? 

3.  When  and  where  was  he  converted? 

4.  When  did  he  unite  with  the  conference,  and  where  did  he 
begin  his  itinerant  work  ? 

5.  In  what  kind  of  work  was  Doctor  Ritter  a  pioneer? 

6.  What  place  does  he  occupy  in  the  pioneer  educational  work 
of  the  Church  ? 

7.  What   term   of   service   did  he  give   to   missionary   work   in 
the  mountains  ©f  Pennsylvania  V 

8.  What    can    you    say    of    his    sacrifices    and    struggles    with 
poverty  ? 

9.  What  is  said  of  him  as  a  preacher?     As  a  pastor? 

10.  Describe  his  visit  with  the  hotel  proprietor. 

11.  What   does   he  say  of   the   difficulties   of  travel   in   western 
Pennsylvania  at  that  time? 

12.  What  is  said  of  Doctor  Ritter  as  a  student? 

18.     Give  brief  statement  of  his  final  repert  to  his  conference. 

14.  What  statement  did  he  make  near  the  close  of  his  life? 

15.  When  and  where  did  he  die  ?     Where  was  he  buried  ? 


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CHAPTER  IX. 

A  Missionary  Hero  in  the  ''Western  Reserve." 

Among  the  many  gifted  and  heroic  men  who 
have  devoted  their  lives  to  the  cause  of  pioneer 
mission  work  in  the  United  Brethren  Church, 
none  have  met  with  more  distinguished  success 
than  Alexander  Biddle..  His  paternal  grand- 
father was  a  native  of  Hesse-Cassel,  Germany, 

With  his  three  brothers,  Peter, 
Ancestry  Thouias,  and  Andrew,  he  emigrated 

to  America  about  the  year  1760, 
settling  in  the  colony  of  Maryland,  from  which 
colony  Andrew  served  with  distinction  as  an  offi- 
cer in  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  His  mother 
was  of  English  descent,  her  people  having  emi- 
grated from  England  with  the  second  Lord  Balti- 
more about  the  year  1647. 

Alexander  Biddle  was  bom  in  Bedford  County, 
Pennsylvania,  April  24,  1810.  When  five  years 
of  age,  his  father  cut  his  way  through  the  dense 
forests  into  Beaver  County,  where  he  moved  his 
family.  In  that  lonely  region  of  pure  air  and 
rugged  scenery  the  boy  grew  to  manhood.  Thus, 
at  the  very  outset,  he  was  inducted  into  the  expe- 
rience of  pioneer  life.  To  settle  in  a  new  country 
and  to  go  forward  in  the  face  of  obstacles  came 
natural  to  him.     From  his  parents  he  inherited 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

a  hardy  constitution  and  the  highest  principles 
of  independence,  industry,  and  downright  hon- 
esty. His  school  advantages  were  very  limited. 
The  tuition  of  an  Irish  schoolmaster  for  two 
winter  seasons  gave  him  the  rudiments  of  read- 
ing, writing,  and  arithmetic,  but  in  after  years  he 
ai)plied  himself  closely  as  a  student  and  built  up 
an  education  of  surprising  breadth  and  thorough- 
ness. 

Until  he  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age, 
young  Biddle  gave  the  matter  of  religion  but 
little  thought.  He  occasionally  attended  the  serv- 
ices of  the  Episcopal  Church  with  his  mother,  of 
which  she  was  a  member.  On  a  summer  evening, 
in  the  year  1828,  while  leisurely  walking  one  of 
the  streets  of  Pittsburg,  he  passed  a  plain  church- 
building  in  which  services  were  then  being  held 
by  the  colored  people.  He  was  attracted  within 
TurniBg-  ^.y  the  loud  voice  of  the  minister, 

Feint  who  was  picturing  in  livid  colors 

the  sufferings  of  a  lost  soul.  The 
sermon  made  a  profound  impression  upon  the 
young  man.  Indeed,  it  was  the  turning-point  in 
his  life.  While  attending  a  Methodist  camp- 
meeting  some  time  later,  a  mighty  conviction  of 
sin  came  upon  him,  but  not  until  the  fourth  of 
October  of  the  following  year  did  he  experience 
the  peace  of  forgiveness,  at  which  time  he  joined 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  was  baptized  in 
the  Ohio  River  by  Rev.  Jacob  Geisinger.  De- 
scribing his  experience,  he  says:  "As  we  came 
up  out  of  the  water,  the  glory  of  God  seemed  to 
appear.     The    sky    flamed    with    supernatural 

97 


Our  Heroes^  or 

brightness ;  the  hills  about  me  were  transformed 
into  mountains  of  gold;  the  river  was  as  the 
River  of  Life,  and  the  trees  as  the  trees  of  Para- 
dise. Heaven  was  opened  and  in  its  splendor  my 
soul  was  bathed/'  He  believed  he  had  seen  the 
King  in  his  beauty,  and  in  the  strength  of  that 
faith  he  walked  all  his  days. 

Mr.  Biddle  at  once  began  religious  work,  and 
at  twenty  years  of  age  his  ability  as  a  preacher 
was  attracting  much  attention.  He  joined  the 
Muskingum  Conference  in  1831,  and  was  licensed 
to  preach  by  Bishop  Henry  Kumler,  Sr.  His  first 
circuit  to  which  he  was  appointed  by  that  confer- 
ence covered  Harrison,  Guernsey, 
First  Circuit  aud  Mouroc  counties.  It  was  two 
hundred  miles  around,  with  twenty- 
four  appointments.  There  being  but  two  little 
church-buildings  in  the  territory,  he  held  services 
in  private  homes,  in  barns,  or  in  the  woods,  as 
seemed  best.  His  father  gave  him  a  horse,  saddle, 
and  the  indispensable  saddle-bags,  while  his 
mother  furnished  his  wardrobe.  His  library  con- 
sisted of  a  Bible  and  hymn-book.  A  little  later 
he  added  Walker's  Dictionary  and  Clark's  Com- 
mentaries. He  had  a  clear,  ringing,  majestic 
voice  and  was  a  sweet  singer;  but,  above  all,  he 
had  his  marvelous  personal  experience  to  tell, 
and  tell  it  he  did  with  boundless  enthusiasm.  At 
the  end  of  the  year  he  reported  fifty  additions  to 
the  Church  and  a  salary  of  fifty-four  dollars. 

The  following  year  he  was  appointed  to  Lisbon 
Circuit.  It  was  three  hundred  miles  in  circum- 
ference, with  twenty-four  appointments  and  no 

98 


/ 

United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

cliurcli-liouses.  Four  new  societies  were  formed, 
out  of  which  grew  the  Western  Reserve  Confer- 
ence. Seventy-two  new  members  were  added  to 
the  Church  during  the  3'^ear,  and  for  his  work  he 
received  seventy-two  dollars.  Four  years  later 
he  was  appointed  to  this  same  charge,  which 
then  included  four  hundred  miles  of  travel, 
with  forty-nine  appointments.  James  McGraw 
was  appointed  to  assist  in  the  work.  It  was  a 
year  of  marvelous  success.  A  meet- 
f'^f*,  ino-   was   held   in    Beaver   County, 

Victories  c5  ^  ^ 

Pennsylvania,  resulting  in  forty 
conversions,  of  whom  three  became  preachers. 
A  wonderful  manifestation  of  power  was  also 
witnessed  at  a  camp-meeting  in  Stark  County, 
Ohio.  A  band  of  wicked  men  organized  to  break 
up  the  meeting.  McGraw  was  preaching  when 
the  mob  appeared.  He  hesitated  for  a  moment, 
when  Mr.  Biddle  arose,  and,  lifting  his  massive 
form  to  its  great  height,  he  cried  with  a  mighty 
voice,  ^'Lord  God  Almighty,  let  thy  power 
come."  The  people  responded,  ^'Amen,''  and 
come  it  did.  The  leader  of  the  mob  fell  upon 
the  ground,  crying  for  mercy,  while  his  fol- 
lowers fled,  and  a  harvest  of  souls  was  gathered. 
''In  the  Western  Reserve,  distances  between 
settlements  were  generally  great,  and  the  roads 
very  bad — mere  paths,  made  by  cutting  out  the 
underbrush  and  marking  the  trees.  As  the  soil 
is  composed  of  rich  clay  and  loam,  and  as  much 
of  the  country  is  flat,  the  roads  in  all  seasons  be- 
came verv  muddv;  and  when  half  frozen  in  the 
spring  and  fall,  our  horses  suffered  extremely.  In 

99 


Our  Heroes,  or 

passing  across  a  prairie  from  one  ridge  of  tim- 
bered land  to  another,  in  foggy  or  snowy  weath- 
er, one  was  often  out  of  sight  of  timbered  land, 
and  the  paths  were  soi  dim,  especially  in  snow- 
storms, that  the  traveler  risked  losing  his  way 
and  perishing  of  the  frost  before  he  could  reach 
a  human  habitation.  To  increase  the  danger, 
these  prairies  Avere  frequently  covered  with  wa- 
ter, and  if  frozen,  but  not  so  as  to  bear  man  or 
beast,  both  were  liable  to  be  wounded  by  the  ice. 
We  had  but  few  bridges  and  were  obliged  to  ford 
streams,  or  to  cross  the  ice.  Sometimes  we  took 
saddle  and  saddle-bags  toi  a  canoe  and  swam  the 
horse  by  its  side;  sometimes  when  unable  to  get 
our  horses  across  v>^e  v/ent  to  our  appointments 
afoot  rather  than  disappoint  a  congregation. 
Preachers  were  often  lost  in  the  woods.  Lemuel 
Lane  was  attacked  one  night  by  wolves;  sticks, 
clubs,  shouts  proved  ineffectual;  he  bethought 
him  of  music  charming  the  savage  breast;  he 
sang,  and  the  retreating  wolves  left  him  to  sleep 
in  the  snow.'^  These  words  of  a  missionary, 
written  in  1832,  may  give  some  idea  of  the  diffi- 
culties encountered  by  Mr.  Biddle  on  his  first 
mission  fields. 

This  veteran  hero  of  the  Cross  recognized  the 
period  from  1837  to  1847,  when  he  seiwed  as  i)re- 
siding  elder,  as  the  golden  years  of  his  ministry. 
They  were  fruitful  of  toils,  trials,  and  conflicts 
and  most  marvelous  victories.  In  the  year  1841 
he  found  a  community  dominated  by  a  Mr.  Dilk, 
who  professed  to  be  God.  He  was  a  large  man, 
of    most    commanding    presence,    piercing    eye, 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

thrilling  voice,  and  oA^ermastering  will.  In  the 
face  of  the  greatest  opposition  and  threats  of 
injury,  Mr.  Biddle  conducted  a  meeting  in  that 
community,  which  resulted  in  com- 
Bu^^  pletely  breaking  the  power  of  this 

false  prophet  and  adding  many  of 
his  delivered  followers  to  the  Church.  Return- 
ing from  this  triumph,  he  found  his  home  in 
ashes  and  his  family  homeless  and  broken- 
hearted. He  rode  by  the  ruins,  unmoved,  to 
where  his  family  was  stopping,  but  when  his 
little  boy,  John,  climbed  upon  his  knee  and 
placed  his  arms  about  his  neck  and  with  sobs 
said,  ^Tapa,  we  have  no  home,"  the  mighty 
spirit  of  his  father  gave  way,  and,  rising  from 
his  seat,  he  turned  his  face  to  the  wall  and  wept 
like  a  child.  But  his  poverty  and  privations 
were  soon  forgotten  in  his  purpose  to  glorify 
God  and  save  souls — an  aim  which  he  con- 
stantly pursued  like  a  giant  of  destiny,  with  no 
regard  for  losses,  defeats,  or  obstacles. 

As  a  preacher  and  evangelist,  Alexander 
Biddle  stands  in  the  history  of  the  early  mis- 
sionary work  of  Eastern  Ohio  without  a  peer. 
A  few  of  his  triumphs  are  here  given.: 

At  the  dedication  of  a  church  in  Rochester, 
Pennsylvania,  seventy  were  at  the  altar  at  one 
time  and  over  one  hundred  were  added  to  the 
church. 

One  of  his  greatest  triumphs  came  at  a  camp- 
meeting  held  on  his  father-in-law's  farm.  It 
was  a  veritable  Pentecost.  On  Sunday  morning 
the  service  began  at  eight  o'clock  and  continued 

101 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

throughout  the  entire  day.  It  seemed  that  noth- 
ing could  stop  it.  Sinners  flocked  to  the  altar, 
found  peace,  and  went  away  to  bring  others. 
All  day  and  all  night  the  glorious  work  went  on, 
and  not  until  the  new  day  opened  could  tlie 
preacher  stop  for  rest.  The  spoils  of  that  day 
and  night  were  over  one  hundred  souls. 

Near  Canton,  Ohio,  he  began  a  mission  in  a 
new  communit}^,  and  held  services  in  a  wagon 
shop.  The  first  week  but  little  impression 
seemed  to  be  made,  but  on  the  second  Sabbath 
the  congregation  was  mightily  moved.  The 
preacher  swept  everything  before  the  torrent  of 
his  eloquence.  Thirty-five  persons  came  to  the 
altar  during  the  sermon.  The 
Evangelistic       whole  communitv  was  reformed,  a 

Triumphs  '^  ' 

class  of  seventy-five  members  or- 
ganized, and  a  church-house  built.  In  one  year, 
in  his  district,  one  thousand  new  members 
were  added  to  the  church.  He  closed  his  fifteen 
years  of  service  in  the  Muskingum  Conference 
with  a  wonderful  revival  in  Stark  County,  Ohio, 
where  scores  of  souls  were  converted  and  united 
with  the  church.  When  he  joined  the  confer- 
ence in  1831,  there  were  three  itinerant  mem- 
bers; when  he  left  in  1848,  there  were  twenty- 
eight  ministers  and  charges.  Most  of  this  in- 
crease is  due  to  his  powerful  influence  and  work. 
There  were  times  when  Mr.  Biddle  and  liis 
family  were  in  great  want.  In  1850  he  endorsed 
notes  for  friends  and  Avas  compelled  to  pay 
them.  One  of  his  children  thus  speaks  of  that 
occasion : 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

^'1  was  in  my  ninth  3'ear  when  the  sheriff  came 
to  attach  fa  therms  property.  He  asked  how  many 
horses  we  had,  how  many  sheep,  and  all  about 
his  property.  Father  told  him  the  truth  to  the 
letter  and  gave  their  probable  value.  We  had 
some  twenty  or  thirty  sheep  and  mother  thought 
a  great  deal  of  them.  After  the  papers  had  been 
made  out  and  a  neighbor  went  on  his  bond  for 
the  i^roperty,  mother  said  to  him,  with  tears  in 
her  eyes,  'Why  did  you  not  save  out  a  few  of  the 
sheep?'     He  made  no  reply.'' 

In  1847,  Mr.  Biddle  moved  to  Crawford 
County,  Ohio,  and  the  following  ^-ear  joined  the 
Sandusky  Conference.  His  distinguished  ability 
and  leadership  were  at  once  recognized.  He 
represented  the  conference  in  the  General  Con- 
ferences of  1857,  1861,  and  1865.  In  these  gath- 
erings he  always  took  a  prominent  part,  and  on 
each  of  these  occasions  he  was  prominently 
spoken  of  for  bishop.  He  identified  himself  Avith 
every  progressive  movement  of  tlie  Church  and 
was  a  close  student  of  theoloi^v  and  historv.  He 
saw  his  Church  changing,  but  he  kept  abreast  of 
his  age  and  was  always  young  and  receptive. 
His  loyalt}^  to  his  Church  was  one  of  his  chief 
characteristics.  He  was  one  of  the 
A  Prophet  Lord's  proplicts,   who   saw   things 

that  were  to  be  and  spoke  of  tliem 
as  if  already  present;  hence  he  was  a  leader  of 
God's  hosts.  In  the  midst  of  discouragement  he 
was  always  brave;  in  counsel,  always  wise;  in 
service,  always  ready.  His  son,  an  attorney  in 
Fort  Scott,  Kansas,  says:     "I  never  saw  father 

103 


Our  Heroes^  or 

weep  but  twice.  One  morning,  as  he  was  spread- 
ing the  clothing  of  my  mother's  death-bed  over 
a  pile  of  stones  in  the  yard,  and  hanging  some 
on  the  trees,  while  her  body  was  in  a  coffin  in 
the  room,  I,  a  boy  of  nine  years  old,  spoke  to 
him  about  my  mother,  and  it  so  affected  him 
that  he  wept  aloud,  and  caused  me  to  shudder. 
I  could  not  conceive  how  so  strong  a  man  could 
give  way  as  he  did  on  that  occasion,  but  it  was 
like  tearing  an  oak-tree  out  by  its  roots.  On 
another  occasion,  father's  district  as  presiding 
elder  was  in  western  Ohio,  quite  a  distance  from 
home,  and  he  was  away  from  home  on  each  trip 
nine  weeks.  This  was  shortly  after  my  mother's 
death  in  1857,  and  our  house  was  kept  by  a 
housekeeper.  When  he  left  us  on  the  first  trip, 
as  he  bade  us  good-by,  great  tears  coursed  over 
his  cheeks." 

One  of  the  great  occasions  of  Mr.  Biddle's 
life,  showing  his  power  over  men,  came  to  him 
wiiile  residing  in  Gallon,  Ohio.  One  of  his 
parishioners,  a  railroad  engineer,  had  been 
killed  in  a  railway  collision.  When  the  people 
began  to  gather  for  the  funeral,  it  was  apparent 
that  the  church  would  accommodate  but  a  small 
per  cent,  of  the  gathering  throng,  so  he  sug- 
gested that  the}^  adjourn  to  the  public  square. 
Using  a  carriage  as  his  pulpit  in  the  center  of 
the  square,  he  addressed  the  assembled  multi- 
tudes. He  was  in  good  condition,  and  his  great, 
thrilling  voice  rang  out  over  the  vast  throng. 
The  people  hung  upon  his  eloquent  words  for 
one  hour,  and  began  to  stir  only  when  he  sat 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

down.  A  prominent  attorney  who  was  present 
gives  tlie  following  description :  "The  square 
was  literally  packed  with  people.  Every  office 
P^yy^r  '^^^    evei^    building    around    the 

as  a  square  was  filled.  Every  one  could 

Preacher  liesiT  hiui  distluctl}^,  aud  he  seemed 

to  speak  from  inspiration.  He  held  this  vast 
assemblage  for  one  hour.  Not  one  person  left, 
and  he  had  perfect  order  from  the  beginning  of 
his  discourse  to  the  end.''  Mr.  Biddle  was  a 
man  of  large  mold  in  bod}^  and  mind,  full  of 
vigor  and  hope.  He  was  fearless,  independent, 
and  industrious,  positive  and  progressive.  He 
grew  with  the  people  and  was  always  abreast  of 
the  foremost  ranks  of  his  time. 

Mr.  Biddle  was  an  optimist  of  the  noblest 
type.  He  was  vvholly  given  up  to  God  and 
absorbed  by  his  prospects,  which  constantly  ex- 
panded before  his  vision.  God  and  the  world 
passed  before  him  in  gTeatness.  He  had  the 
divine  ability  of  heart  to  separate  the  grandeur 

of  earth  from  its  infirmities,  to 
An  Optimist       hear    strains    of    beautiful    music 

rising  above  its  harshest  tumult, 
and  thus  the  road  of  life  was  taken  up  by  his 
great  heart  and  transfigured  until  it  became  like 
Jacob's  ladder — a  way  to  heaven. 

The  discipline  of  life  served  to  broaden  and 
deepen  his  faith,  so  that  at  last  he  stood  as 
nearly  a  perfect  specimen  of  fully-rounded  char- 
acter as  could  be  found.  He  belonged  to  a  class 
of  men  who  seem  to  be  chosen  of  Heaven  to  illus- 
trate   the    sublime    possibilities    of    Cliristian 

105 


Our  Heroes^  or 

attainment — men  of  seraphic  fervor  and  devo- 
tion, and  wliose  one  overmastering  passion  is  to 
win  souls  to  Christ  and  to  be  holy  like  him  them- 
selves. 

Father  Biddle  retired  from  active  service  in 
1876,  but  did  not  cease  to  preach  until  he  had 
passed  his  eightieth  year.  He  was  for  sixty- 
eight  years  a  minister  in  the  United  Brethren 
Church,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the 
oldest  living  preacher  in  the  denomination.  The 
burdens  of  those  j^ears  were  exceedingly  heavy, 
but  his  physical  endurance  kept  pace  and  he  had 
reason  to  be  thankful  that:  he  was  of  the  hardy 
race  of  American  pioneers. 

On  the  first  of  February,  1899,  having  reached 
the  mature  age  of  eighty-eight  years,  nine 
months,  and  seven  days,  he  exchanged  earth  for 
heaven  and  everlasting  life.  Awhile  before  his 
death  he  wrote:  ^^I  am  feeling  keenly  the  bur- 
den of  almost  eighty-seven  years,  but  I  am  en- 
joying fair  health.  As  to  the  future,  I  am  living 
by  the  day,  with  a  bright  prospect 
Hourl"^  of  the  heirship  of  eternal  life.     In 

the  quiet  of  my  lonely  home,  my 
soul  feasts  on  the  riches  of  divine  grace.  The 
time  of  the  sunset  has  come,  and  its  tints  are 
those  of  a  golden  autumn  day.  The  sun  is  going 
down  without  a  cloud,  and  as  the  earthly  is 
fading  out  of  siglit,  the  heavenly  breaks  upon 
my  vision  and  I  long  to  be  at  home  in  the  bright, 
eternal  day  which  has  no  sunset."  His  body 
sleeps  beside  the  Biddle  Church,  a  few  miles 
from  Gallon,  Ohio. 

106 


CHAPTER  X. 

Leader  of  the  Advance  Guard  to  Oregon. 

The  pioneer  missionaries  of  the  Church  who 
opened   up   to   Christian  civilization   the   great 
West  were  a  militant  force.     They  have  consti- 
tuted the  vanguard  of  American  civilization  in 
its  march  westward.    "The  warfare 

Force***  ^'^^  ^^^  ^^^^  against  the  untamed 

forces  of  nature,  but  also  against 
the  unchecked  and  undisciplined  passions  of 
men.  They  walked  their  rough  pathway  ^dth  a 
firm  step  that  indicated  a  strong  faith  and  a 
lofty  objective."  Their  spirit  Avas  heroic;  ease 
and  earthly  reward  they  sought  not.  Great  is 
the  debt  of  the  nation  to  those  men,  and  scant 
the  patience  we  need  show  toward  their  critics. 
Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  gold  excitement 
in  California  in  1849,  and  the  establishment  of 
the  overland  route  between  the  States,  and  the 
Pacific  Coast,  the  Willamette  Valley  of  Oregon 
Territory,  being  of  easy  access  from  the  mining 
region,  began  to  fill  up  rapidly  with  immi- 
grants. These  early  settlements  grew  more  rap- 
idly on  account  of  the  grants  of  land  by  the 
Government  to  actual  settlers.  Among  those 
who  immigrated  to  Oregon  in  those  early  days 
were  several  United  Brethren  families.  Faitliful 

107 


Our  Heroes y  or  . 

to  their  Church  attachment  and  feeling  the 
dearth  of  spiritual  instruction  in  that  new  and 
unevangelized  country,  they  began 
oreW^''**"'  to    plead    through    the    Telescope 

that  the  Church  might  send  them 
preachers  of  their  own  denomination  to  bring 
the  bread  of  life  to  the  needy,  perishing  souls  of 
that  then  foreign  country. 

In  the  meantime  God  was  preparing  a  man  in 
central  Indiana  to  answer  the  call,  in  the  person 
of  T.  J.  Connor.  He  was  at  this  time  presid- 
ing elder  of  the  newly-organized  White  Eiver 
Conference.  These  appeals  from  far-off  Oregon 
so  touched  his  heart  that  he  came  to  recognize 
them  as  a  call  of  God  to  him  personally. 

He  was  born  near  the  little  village  of  Colerain, 
Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  April  6,  1821.  About 
two  years  later  he  was  taken  by  his  parents, 
James  and  Mary  Connor,  to  Franklin  County, 
Indiana..  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  was  con- 
verted and  united  with  the  Church.  It  Avas 
under  the  ministry  of  Aaron  Farmer,  whose 
heroic  services  in  the  pioneer  work  of  tlie  Church 
in  Indiana  have  been  an  inspiration  to  those  wlio 
have  come  after  him,  that  young  Connor  received 
his  early  religious  impressions.  At  that  early 
age  he  gave  evidence  of  a  call  to  the  ministry. 
Five  years  later  he  was  given  license  to  preach, 
and  six  years  later  he  began  his  itinerant  work 
in  the  Indiana  Conference. 

Mr.  Connor  was  married  in  September,  1838, 
to  Miss  Phoebe  N.  Borden,  who  became  a  faith- 
ful sharer  and  sympathizer  in  all  his  future  toils 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

and  sacrifices.    She,  too,  was  impressed  witli  the 

call  from  Oregon.    One  evening  in  the  winter  of 

1851  the^^  talked  the  matter  over; 

^""       ^  then,  kneelin":  in  praver  amid  sobs, 

Answered  '  o  x        t/  / 

they  consecrated  themselves  anew 
to  God  for  his  service  in  that  far-away  field  if 
he  Avould  open  the  way. 

The  following  day  Mr.  Connor  wrote  a  little 
article  which  was  published  in  one  of  the  Church 
periodicals,  advocating  the  opening  of  this  new 
mission  and  volunteering  to  go  as  a  missionary 
if  the  Church  so  desired. 

Within  a  short  time  he  was  invited  to  attend 
a  missionary  conference  at  Canal  Winchester, 
Ohio.  During  the  meeting  he  delivered  an 
address  of  great  power  which  stirred  the  hearts 
of  all  present.  Many  spoke  of  it  as  the  greatest 
missionary  address  to  which  they  had  ever 
listened.  Dr.  L.  Davis,  in  a  few  well-chosen 
vrords,  appealed  to  the  audience  for  an  offering, 
and  in  a  few  moments  five  hundred  dollars  were 
secured  for  work  in  Oregon. 

In  January,  1852,  Mr.  Connor  was  appointed 
missionary  to  Oregon,  with  the  recommendation 
that  he  organize  a  colony  to  go  with  him,  and 
that  he  go  out  in  1853.  On  learning  of  his  ap- 
pointment, he  wrote:  ^^The  recollections  of 
eigliteen  years  of  delightful  and  intimate  asso- 
ciation with  the  Church  in  Indiana  about  to  be 
broken  up,  and  the  difficulties,  dangers,  and  pri- 
vations of  the  journey,  and  last,  but  not  least, 
the  responsibilities  of  the  mission  ran  through 
my  mind  like  electric  flashes,  which  for  a  time 

109 


Our  Heroes^  or 

well  nigh  overwlielmed  me  and  prompted  the  in- 
voluntary exclamation,  "Lord,  who  is  sufficient 
for  these  things?" 

He  at  once  began  the  preparation  for  the  jour- 
ney, recommending  that  a  colony  of  from  thirty 
to  forty  families  be  induced  tO'  immigrate,  which 
would  form  the  nucleus  of  a  circuit;  then  a  con- 
ference; afterwards  many  conferences  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.  Plans  for  the  colony  now  began 
Preparation  ^^  t^^Q^  shape.  Couucil  Bluffs  was 
for  the  named   as  the  meeting-place,   and 

Journey  ^^^.j    ^Q ,  1853,    was    determined 

upon  as  the  date  for  leaving.  Mr.  Connor  left 
his  home  at  Hartsville,  Indiana,  February  4,  for 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  from  which  place  he  went  by 
boat  to  Keokuk,  Iowa,  arriving  March  24,  and 
before  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Missions  he 
was  far  on  his  journey  toward  the  mission  field. 

On  his  arrival  at  Keokuk  he  met  with  his  first 
discouragement.  A  gentleman  who  had  promised 
to  have  his  teams  in  readiness  in  order  that  they 
might  proceed  by  wagon  to  Council  Bluffs,  had 
disappointed  him  and  declined  to  go  with  him, 
which  placed  Mr.  Connor  in  a  ver^^  trying  and 
embarrassing  position.  But  he  could  not  be  de- 
feated, because  he  did  not  doubt  God's  plan  con- 
cerning his  future  work.  He  at  once  began  to 
Early  arrange  his  own  outfit,  and  after 

Discourage-  tcu  days'  arduous  work  started  on 
'"*'''*^  his  journey  to  Council  Bluffs.    At 

some  point  on  the  way  he  was  detained  tliree 
days  by  constant  rain  and  high  water.  At  an- 
other point  his  teamster  received  a  severe  wound 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

by  an  iinfortimate  stroke  of  an  ax,  which  dis- 
abled him  for  further  service.  On  that  morning, 
Ai^ril  IG,  he  writes :  "This  is  surely  a  dark  day 
for  us.  I  am  entirely  destitute  of  help,  with  the 
care  and  management  of  four  yoke  of  cattle  and 
two  horses  on  my  hands.  But,  although  our  way 
seems  hedged  up  and  the  prospect  rather  gloomy, 
I  feel  confident  that  all  is  right." 

On  May  2  he  reached  Council  Bluffs,  where  he 
found  sixteen  families  in  waiting.  Four  besides 
himself  were  ministers,  in  all  about  ninety-eight 
persons,  among  whom  was  his  faithful  associate 
and  sharer  in  liis  toils  and  triumphs  in  his  mis- 
sionary work,  Mr.  J.  Kenoyer.  Three  days 
later,  when  ready  to  start  on  the  long  journey 
fraught  with  constant  hardship  and  peril,  he 
writes :  "It  is  with  long  and  lingering  looks  and 
thoughts  of  former  days  that  we  leave  the  settle- 
ments behind  us.  Before  us  are  the  much  dreaded 
plains  and  mountain  heights  inhabited  only  by 
poor  savages.  May  the  God  of  Israel  direct  our 
steps." 

No  missionary  of  the  Gross  ever  faced  a  more 
heroic  undertaking.  It  involved  greater  hard- 
ships than  would  a  journey  to-day  to  the  re- 
motest corners  of  the  earth.  The  difficulties  of 
the  journey  will  be  appreciated  if  it  is  borne  in 
mind  that  the  missionary  party  were  all  stran- 
p^,„g  gers  in  the  country,  that  there  was 

of  the  no    well-defined     road,     and     fre- 

"^  quently  not  even  a  trail  or  a  track, 

except  that  of  the  buffalo.  When  Doctor  Wliit- 
man  and  Mr.   Spaulding  were  sent  out  by  the 

111 


Our  Heroes,  or 

American  Board  in  1836,  and  were  arranging  to 
have  their  wives  accompany  them,  the  first  white 
women  that  ever  crossed  the  continent,  an 
Indian  artist  in  Pittsburg  said,  "You  might  per- 
haps get  through  yourselves,  but  you  can  never 
get  the  women  through ;  they  will  be  kidnaped." 
Mr.  Connor,  being  a  man  of  actions  rather  than 
speech,  did  not  write  a  detailed  account  of  the 
journey.  On  June  17  he  writes:  "We  have 
reached  Fort  Laramie,  on  the  Platte  Kiver. 
Company  all  well.  Travel  on  the  plains,  though 
laborious  and  perilous,  is  not  entirely  destitute 
of  interest.  The  scenery  is  most  delightful;  the 
Indians  are  numerous."  Two  months  later  he 
writes:  "We  are  now  fifty  miles  east  of  Grand 
Eounds,  260  miles  from  the  Dalles,  and  about 
220  miles  from  Oregon  City.  We  have  suffered 
much  from  thirst,  hunger,  and  storms,  which 
sometimes  threatened  our  lives.  Our  teams  are 
so  far  reduced  that  we  shall  not  be  able  to  pass 
the  Cascades  without  buying  more. 
Journey  q^^^  profifress  lias  been  slow,   our 

Completed  x        o  / 

trials  great,  but  the  God  of  Israel 
has  been  with  us  and  mercifully  protected  us." 
On  October  9  he  reports  the  following  from 
Maysville,  Oregon  :  "We  have  accomplished  our 
long  and  perilous  journey.  Our  company  was 
blessed  with  health  except  my  wife,  avIio  was 
taken  seriously  ill  September  10,  and  for  some 
eight  days  was  apparently  at  the  point  of  death. 
We  reached  the  Dalles  of  Columbia  on  the  19th 
of  September,  and,  owing  to  the  affliction  of  my 
wife,  James  Edwards  and  myself  decided  to  go 

112 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

tlie  rest  of  the  way  by  water.  The  other  members 
of  the  companj'  preferred  crossing  the  moun- 
tains, and  hence  our  little  consecrated  band  was 
broken  after  having  stuck  together  and  shared 
each  others'  joys  and  sorrows  through  the  long 
trip  thus  far.  Brother  Berthands  came  out  to 
meet  us  some  twenty  miles  east  of  the  Cascades, 
bringing  with  liim  a  fine,  fat  ox  for  beef  and  a 
fresh  yoke  of  work  cattle,  which  afforded 
Brother  Kenoyer  much-needed  assistance." 

^^On  the  26th,  Brother  Edwards  and  myself, 
with  our  families  and  effects,  reached  the  settle- 
ments in  the  long-sought  Willamette  Valley. 
Here  we  arrived  six  months  and  eisfhteen  davs 
from  the  time  we  left  our  pleasant  homes  in 
Indiana.  Five  months  and  twenty-eight  days 
from  the  time  we  left  Council  Bluffs." 

It  had  been  the  purpose  of  the  missionaries  to 
start  a  United  Brethren  colony,  but  they  soon 
found  that  this  would  be  impracticable,  as  they 
could  not  find  desirable  unoccupied  land  in  suffi- 
ciently large  bodies  to  do  so,  so  they  scattered 
about  in  the  Willamette,  which  was  very  much 
better,  from  the  standpoint  of  a  missionary  en- 
terprise, than  the  colonial  scheme;  each  family 
became  a  nucleus  for  a  United  Brethren  society. 
Mr.  Connor,  who  was  appointed  by  the  Board 
of  Missions  to  superintend  the  work,  at  once 
began  his  missionary  tours,  assisted  by  Mr. 
J.  Kenoyer.  They  at  first  spent  about  three 
months  looking  up  United  Brethren  people. 
They  traveled  extensively^  through  the  wild  sec- 
tion of  the  Willamette  and  Umpqua  valleys. 

113 


Our  Heroes y  or 

The  first  quarterly  conference  was  organized 
in  May,  1854.  It  was  a  delightful  seryice.  More 
than  a  year  had  passed  since  they  had  enjoyed 
such  a  privilege.  At  this  meeting  a  number  of 
souls  were  converted  and  ten  w^ere  added  to  the 
Church.  The  offerings  amounted  to  eighty  dol- 
lars. The  work  was  then  divided  into  two  dis- 
tricts, each  embracing  an  area  of  about  three 
thousand  square  miles.  The  northern  district, 
in  charge  of  Kenoyer,  was  named  Yam  Hill.  The 
southern  district  was  named  Willamette.  This 
territory  was  constantly  enlarged 

oreson  durins,'  the  year.    At  this  time  Ore- 

Then — Now  ^  '^ 

gon  Territory,  including  Washing- 
ton and  Idaho,  contained  about  twenty  thousand 
white  people.  Now  the  State  has  a  population 
of  at  least  one  million  people.  Sixty  years  ago 
the  Indian  population  was  probably  about  one 
hundred  thousand;  now  it  is  less  than  tAventy 
thousand.  The  people  then  lived  in  small  log 
cabins  with  an  earth  floor  and  a  roof  made  of 
pine  boughs.  In  place  of  glass  windows,  cotton 
cloth  was  used.  They  seldom  used  chairs.  Four 
stakes  driven  in  the  ground  and  covered  with 
rough  boards  made  their  table.  All  cooking  was 
done  over  an  open  fire.  They  had  no  matches, 
but  obtained  their  fire  by  flint  and  steel. 

Mr.  Connor  and  the  three  ministers  accom- 
panying him  have  the  honor  of  being  the  first 
United  Brethren  preachers  to  bear  the  gosi)el 
message  to  the  people  of  this  new  and  undevel- 
oped country  of  such  marvelous  possibilities.  In 
a  letter  dated  July,  1854,  he  says :     "Our  Avork 

114 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

is,  in  some  respects,  hard  and  attended  with 
peculiar  trials,  and  in  our  travels 
Difficulties  throuoli    the    country,    instead    of 

meeting-  smiling  faces  and  welcome 
greetings  of  brethren  beloved,  it  is  often  a  cold 
reception  of  strangers  from  whom  we  have  to  beg 
the  privilege  of  preaching  in  their  homes.  We 
do  not  present  this  as  a  complaint,  neither  are 
the  tears,  which  interrupt  me  in  penning  these 
lines,  tears  of  rebellion." 

The  home  of  this  hero  of  the  Cross,  as  far  as 
he  had  a  home,  was  at  Corvallis.  He  writes  from 
there,  March  14,  1885 :  ^'We  have  an  interesting 
Bible  class,  and  expect  ere  long  to  erect  a  house 
of  worship  at  this  place.  Many  calls  come  to  us 
from  a  distance  to  which  we  cannot  possibly  re- 
spond. I  know  not  how  to  supply  these  wide- 
spreading,  extensive  fields.  We  need  help,  both 
of  men  and  means.  Frequently  we  labor  for  days 
in  succession  single-handed,  preaching,  exhort- 
ing, singing,  and  praying  with  mourners  until 
compelled  to  desist.  We  sometimes  think  of  our 
ministerial  brethren  in  the  East,  a.  few  of  Avhom 
are  comparativel}'  idle.  Could  they  be  with  us 
one  month,  though  they  might  have  to  ride  all 
day  and  at  night  w^rap  themselves  in  a  blanket 
and  lie  down  under  the  open  sky  to  sleep,  yet 
with  all  these  privations  and  hardships  they 
could  not  be  induced  to  exchange  it  for  that 
deadly  inactivity  in  which  some  of  them  are 
dragging  out  their  unhappy  existence." 

On  August  30,  1855,  four  ministers  met  in 
Lynn  County,  Oregon  Territor}^,  and  organized 

115 


Our  Heroes^  or 

the  Oreo'on  Conference.  Rev.  Mr.  Connor  was 
elected  to  preside.  A  membership  of  235  was  re- 
ported scattered  over  the  territory  of  seven 
counties.  These  results  were  most 
Conference         gratifviuo:  whcu  the  couditious  of 

Organized.  '='  .^        o 

the  country  were  taken  into  ac- 
count. Much  time  was  spent  by  the  missionaries 
in  making  explorations.  The  following  year  an 
increase  of  180  members  and  many  new  appoint- 
ments were  ireported.  During  that  year  they 
passed  through  the  horrors  and  excitement  of  an 
Indian  war.  Only  a  few  years  before,  the  hor- 
rible massacre  of  Doctor  Whitman  and  his  noble 
band  of  fourteen  missionaries  occurred.  But  in 
the  face  of  this  great  danger,  Mr.  Connor  and 
his  heroic  helpers  kept  up  their  appointments 
and  went  on  with  their  regular  work. 

In  1857  he  retuiyied  East  to  attend  a  session 
of  the  General  Conference.  Part  of  his  mission 
was  to  interest  the  Church  in  the  work  and  to 

secure,  if  possible,  more  laborers  to 
3*^"  assist    him.      His   visit   was   very 

gratifying  to  the  Church  and  quite 
satisfactory  to  himself.  His  appeals  for  Oregon, 
l)ased  upon  the  actual  needs  of  the  people,  as 
well  as  the  future  outlook  of  the  country,  were 
most  effective. 

In  July  of  the  same  year  he  started  on  his  re- 
turn voyage  from  New  York,  but  little  account 
of  which  is  given.  He  writes  from  Portland, 
August  6:  "At  six  o'clock  this  morning  we 
landed  at  Portland.  We  had  rather  a  tedious 
voyage,  but  in  the   main  a  pleasant    one.     We 

116 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

touched  at  Kingston,  on  the  Island  of  Jamaica, 
tarried  one  night  at  Aspenwall,  reached  San 
Francisco  on  the  31st,  and  shipped  for  Oregon. 
Health  has  been  good  except  seasickness.'' 

In  1874,  Mr.  Connor  was  compelled  to  retire 
from  active  work  on  account  of  failing  health. 
The  followinfif  year  he  returned  to  his  native 
State,  Indiana,  Avhere  he  spent  the  closing  years 
of  his  long  and  useful  life.  He  died  at  Greens- 
burg,  Indiana,  on  the  second  day  o^f  June,  1898, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 

The  bravery  and  unselfish  devotion  of  this 
hero  of  the  Cross,  with  his  unstinted  missionary 
labors,  is  a  rich  legacy.  After  six  months  of 
trials,  perils,  and  privations,  recorded  only  by 
the  angels,  the  journey  of  three  thousand  miles 
over  hot  and  dreary  plains  and  through  danger- 
ous mountain  passes  was  accomplished,  and  the 
courageous  pioneer  in  due  time  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  our  work  in  Oregon  and  the  extreme 
northwestern  section  of  the  United  States.  The 
high  esteem  in  which  this  servant  of  God  was 
held  by  his  brethren  in  Oregon  is  evinced  in  the 
fact  that  he  was  elected  to  preside  over  every 
session  of  their  conference  from  the  time  of  its 
organization  in  1855  until  the  visit  of  the  regu- 
lar bishop  in  1864.  He  is  described  by  Bishop 
Edwards  as  ^^about  medium  size,  light  complex- 
ion, with  a  countenance  expressive  of  decision, 
firmness,  purity,  and  intelligence.  His  erect 
form,  sober,  pious  face,  and  his  earnest,  devo- 
tional spirit,  gave  him  the  appearance  of  supe- 
rior sanctity  and  dignity." 

117 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Fii^st  Missionary  to  Michigan. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Eliza- 
bethtown,  Canada,  September  23,  1814.  His 
father  was  a  Quaker  by  birthright,  and  his 
mother  was  a  devout  Methodist — a  woman  of 
rare  gifts,  of  strong  character,  and  of  intense 
piety.  Throughout  his  boyliood  he 
Parentage  was  surrouudcd  by  the  most  help- 

ful and  inspiring  of  precepts  and 
examples.  To  the  tactful  and  careful  guidance 
of  a  Christian  mother,  the  achievements  of  liis 
life  are  largely  due.  Her  love,  sympathy,  and 
prayer  were  his  guiding  star. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen,  young  Lee  was  con- 
verted at  a  camp-meeting  not  far  from  his  home, 
and  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  His  brother  Alfred,  a  few  years  his 
senior,  was  also  converted  at  the  same  meeting. 
These  boys  would  go  to  a  schoolhouse  on  the 
corner  of  their  father's  farm,  and  alone  hold 
prayer-meetings.  One  evening,  a  gentleman  of 
Begiuning  ^^6  comuiunity  passing  by,  saw  a 

Religious  light  in  the  schoolhouse,  and,  look- 

Work  '^ 

m  to  see  what  was  going  on,  he 
observed  the  boys  engaged  in  a  prayer  service. 
At   the   close   of   the   meeting   he   heard    them 

118 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

agree  to  meet  there  again  in  one  week  from  that 
date.  The  gentleman  was  not  a  Christian,  and, 
thinking  he  wonld  surprise  the  boys  and  so  in- 
timidate them  that  they  would  abandon  their 
services,  he  spread  the  news  among  his  irre- 
ligious acquaintances  and  had  the  house  filled  at 
the  next  meeting ;  but,  to  the  surprise  of  all,  the 
services  went  on  as  usual.  These  meetings  were 
continued  and  resulted  in  the  salvation  of  many 
souls  and  the  building  of  a  church  in  that  com- 
munity. 

Soon  after  his  conversion,  Mr.  Lee  was  called 
to  the  ministry,  but  reluctantly  made  known  his 
impressions,  because  of  his  timid  and  retiring 
disposition  and  the  fact  that  his  educational 
advantages  up  until  that  time  were  very  limited. 
His  father  also  sought  to  discourage  him.  About 
this  time  young  Lee  was  called  upon  by  his  pas- 
tor to  announce  a  hymn  and  pray  at  the  close  of 
a  service,  and  while  doing  so,  the 
Exhort^  ***  minister  slipped  a  paper  into  his 

pocket.  On  examination  he  found 
it  was  a  license  from  the  quarterly  conference  to 
exhort.  He  then  passed  through  a  period  of 
struggle  and  doubt  as  the  result  of  his  disobe- 
dience. This  rebellion,  he  said  later  in  life, 
almost  ruined  him. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  left  Canada  and 
moved  to  Ohio,  settling  a  few  miles  north  of 
Bucyrus,  where  he  was  engaged  for  a  year  or 
more  in  teaching.  In  the  meantime,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Harriet  C.  Parme- 
lee.  Later  they  both  attended  a  classical  seni- 
lis 


Our  Heroes,  or 

inarj  at  Norwalk,  of  which  Dr.  Edward  Thomp- 
son, who  subsequently  became  president  of  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University,  was  the  prin- 
Life**^  cipal.     He  was  a  Avarm  friend  of 

Mr.  Lee,  and  did  much  to  aid  him 
in  completing  his  course  of  study  in  that  institu- 
tion. Near  the  close  of  his  course  in  the  sem- 
inary he  had  the  great  misfortune  to  lose  his 
little  home,  with  all  his  earthly  goods,  by  fire. 

In  the  winter  of  1845-46,  he  was  teaching 
school  in  a  neighborhood  where  but  few  pro- 
fessed Christianity.  It  was  his  custom  to  open 
the  school  by  reading  a  scripture  lesson  and 
offering  a  prayer.  One  morning  when  he  arose 
from  his  knees,  he  obseryed  a  number  of  the 
older  scholars  weeping.  He  went  to  them  to  find 
out  what  was  the  matter.  They  answered  that 
they  wanted  him  to  pray  for  them;  so  he 
prayed  again  and  others  joined.  He  tried  the 
third  time  to  take  up  school  v/ork,  but  could  not, 
so  they  had  meeting  all  day  and  preaching  that 
night.  A  great  revival  followed,  resulting 
in  sixty  conversions. 

About  this  time,  a  United  Brethren  Discipline 
came  to  the  hands  of  Mr.  Lee,  who  was  at  once 
Changed  imprcsscd  with  its  directness,  sim- 

church  plicity,  and  fervency,  both  in  rela- 

tion to  its  statement  of  doctrine 
and  of  church  government.  After  much  prayer 
and  thought  he  fully  made  up  his  mind  to 
change  his  church  relations,  which  he  did  a  lit- 
tle while  later. 

In  1848  he  joined  the  Sandusky  Conference 

120 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

and  was  appointed  to  ^^Bean  Creek  Circuit,"  near 
the  Michigan  State  line.  With  his  wife  and  four 
children  he  started  in  a  one-horse  buc^c'v  for  his 
field  of  labor.  His  oldest  daughter,  then  quite 
young,  thus  relates  her  memoi'y  of  the  journey: 
"We  had,  oh,  such  a  time!  The  mud  was  deep, 
and  the  last  few  miles  the  ground  seemed  to  be 

covered  with  water.  It  was  wade 
Circuit  ^^^^  splash  all  the  time.  A  few  days 

after  reaching  our  destination  we 
all  took  the  ague,  and  a  good  deal  of  the  time  we 
could  hardly  carry  water  enough  to  drink,  as  we 
had  to  carry  it  a  quarter  of  a  mile."  The  circuit 
was  large  and  Mr.  Lee  had  to  be  away  from  home 
most  of  the  time.  There  were  times  during  the 
year  when  the  family  yras  really  in  destitute  cir- 
cumstances.  One  morning  Mr.  Lee  was  on  his 
horse  to  leaye  for  one  of  his  farthest  appoint- 
ments, when  his  wife  told  him  there  was  nothing 
in  the  house  with  which  to  get  another  meal.  He 
w^anted  to  go  and  borrow  something,  but  she  said, 
"No ;  if  it  is  your  duty  to  preach,  some  way  will 
be  provided,"  so  he  turned  away  with  a  heavy 
heart  for  a  two  weeks'  journey.  About  eleven 
o'clock  the  same  day,  Mrs  Lee  heard  a  rap  at  the 
door.  She  answered  the  call  and  found  a  woman 
on  horseback  with  a  big  basket  in  front  of  her 
and  a  sack  of  flour  behind  her.  In  the  basket  she 
had  potatoes,  meat,  sugar,  tea,  and  other  good 
things. 

At  another  time  he  was  about  to  start  on  a 
tour  to  be  absent  for  several  weeks.  The  family 
had  a  good  breakfast  together,  but  it  took  all  the 

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Our  Heroes^  or 

provisions  that  were  in  the  house.  When  Mr. 
Lee  learned  this,  lie  was  greatly  troubled.  After 
a  few  moments'  thought,  he  read  a  lesson  from 
the  Bible  and  then  very  fervently  prayed  for 
direction.     Presenting  the  case  to  the  Lord,  he 

said :  ^'I  cannot  leave  my  family  to 
Triads*  starve.  We  have  no  food,  no  money. 

If  it  be  thy  will  that  I  go  on  this 
journey  to  preach  thy  word,  and  to  try  to  build 
up  thy  church,  open  the  way.  Provide  for  the 
family  necessities."  Just  as  the  prayer  was 
ended  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door,  and  a  bov 
had  come  with  a  load  of  provisions.  The  father 
then  read  from  the  sixth  chapter  of  Matthew, 
emphasizing  the  eighth  verse,  after  which  the 
family  knelt  together  again  and  offered  a  prayer 
of  thanksgiving.  The  father  then  started  on  his 
long  journey. 

Near  the  close  of  the  conference  year  a  gentle- 
man by  the  name  of  Reynolds,  residing  in 
Michigan,  having  heard  of  Mr.  Lee,  came  to 
visit  him  with  a  special  request  that  he  come 
into  their  community  and  hold  a  meeting. 
Mr.  Lee  responded  to  the  call  and  was  much  en- 
couraged with  the  results  of  the  meeting.  He 
reported  this  visit  to  the  conference,  and,  to  his 
surprise,  he  was  appointed  by  the  conference  to 
open  a  mission  in  this  new  field.  At  that  time 
First  u.  B.  the  Church  had  no  missionary  so- 
Missionary  ciety,  but  the  members  of  the  con- 
gan  ference  pledged  fifty  dollars,  and 
with  this  amount  the  work  was  started.  Mr.  Lee 
was,  therefore,  the  first  United  Brethren  minis- 

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United  llrcihrcn  Home  Missionaries 

tev  to  enter  the  State  of  ^lichigau  as  a  resident. 
Teams  were  sent  to  move  him,  and  on  the  day 
that  Zachariah  Taylor  was  elected  President  of 
the  United  States,  this  hero  of  the  Cross,  with 
his  noble  family,  reached  his  ^lichigau  home  in 
the  midst  of  a  great  snowstorm. 

He  at  once  went  abont  the  work  of  organizing 
classes  and  making  missionary  excursions.  The 
hardships  and  privations  endured  during  this 
period  of  his  history  are  set  forth  by  his  daughter 
in  the  following  words :  "We  had  a  struggle  to 
live.  We  did  not  have  cake  or  pie  in  the  house 
for  over  a  year,  and  father  Avould  not  eat  them, 
when  away  from  home,  because  he  knew  we  could 
not  have  them  at  home.  Oh,  but  those  were  dark 
days !  We  were  sick  a  good  deal.  In  August  of 
that  year  a  great  sorrow  fell  upon  our  home  in 
the  death  of  our  darling  baby  brother,  Adelbert 
Lawrence.'' 

Mr.  Lee  was  fearless  and  courageous  in  tlie 
face  of  opposition.  On  one  of  his  prospecting 
tours  he  met  a  gentleman  who  invited  him  to 
preach  in  his  community  and  to  make  his  home  a 
stopping-place.  This  involved  quite  a  distance  of 
additional  travel.  On  reaching  the  community 
he  was  informed  that  the  gentleman  whose  invi- 
tation he  had  accepted  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
invitinoj  ministers  to  his  communitv  and  then  by 
controversy  and  ridicule  drive  them  away.  ^Fr. 
Lee  stated,  "The  appointment  is  made  and  I  ex- 
pect to  fill  it."  After  retiring  for  prayer  that 
God  would  direct  him,  he  found  his  way  to  the 
little  log  schoolhouse  vrhere  he  had  been  an- 

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Our  Heroes  J  or 

nounced  to  preach.     He  found   the  gentleman 
seated  on  the  platform  with  slate  and  pencil  in 
hand,  and  as  the  sermon  went  on  he  began  to 
/•  ,  take   notes   and    record    his    criti- 

An  Incident  clsms.  Presently,  he  laid  down  his 
slate  and  began  to  weep.  At  the 
close  of  the  sermon  he  rose  and  confessed  his 
wrongdoing  before  the  people  and  proposed  to 
live  a  better  life,  and,  appealing  to  the  audience, 
asked  if  any  one  would  join  him  in  the  resolu- 
tion. Several  responded  and  the  meeting  closed. 
Four  weeks  later  the  preacher  was  there  again, 
but  learned  that  this .  man,  whose  name  was 
Sutherland,  had  thrown  off  all  his  good  impres- 
sions and  w^ould  antaofonize  him.     Earlv  in  the 

Cj  «■' 

services  Sutherland  entered  the  room  defiantly 
and  seated  himself  by  the  side  of  the  preacher  on 
the  platform.  At  the  close  of  the  sermon  he  arose 
and  with  sarcasm  sought  to  frighten  the  preacher 
and  destroy  his  work.  When  he  was  through 
with  the  harangue,  Mr.  Lee  rose  and  said,  "Mr. 
Sutherland,  by  the  grace  of  God,  I  mean  to  whip 
you  to-night,"  not  meaning,  of  course,  any  per- 
sonal violence.  Sutherland  sprang  to  his  feet, 
smote  his  fists  together,  and  said :  "That  •  s  it. 
Now  we  are  in  for  it."  A  stout  Irishman,  fearing 
that  he  might  do  the  preacher  personal  injury, 
stepped  up  and  seated  himself  near  to  protect  the 
preacher.  Mr.  Lee  told  the  people  how  he 
and  Sutherland  had  first  met,  reciting  his 
previous  treatment  of  other  men  and  thereby  pre- 
venting the  people  of  the  settlement  from  enjoy- 
ing the  privileges  of  church  and  worship.     He 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

branded  it  as  the  basest  hypocrisy  and  ingrati- 
tude.   Then,  appealing  to  the  audience,  he  cried 
out :  "Do  you  intend  to  endure  such 
Fearless  and       treatment?     Do  you  intend  to  let 

Courageous  '^ 

this  man  control  your  community 
and  abuse  and  drive  away  those  who  would  bring 
you  the  gospel?"  The  people  shouted,  "No,  no." 
"Then,"  said  the  preacher,  "rise  above  him  and 
let  him  know  that  you  will  no  longer  submit  to 
such  thino's."  The  service  closed.  Sutherland 
went  to  his  home,  passed  a  restless  night,  rose 
early  the  following  morning  and  went  to  his 
sawmill  and  hung  himself,  but  his  engineer 
came  in  time  to  release  him  and  s^ive  his  life. 
He  lived  two  years  after  that.  When  dying,  he 
was  visited  by  a  young  minister,  who  asked  the 
privilege  of  praying  for  him.  He  answered,  "No, 
it  will  be  of  no  avail."  Then  he  referred  to  the 
meeting  of  two  years  before,  when  he  grieved  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  vias  thereafter  absolutely  aban- 
doned. 

During  the  second  year  of  Mr.  Lee's  ministry 
in  Michio^an  he  went  into  Jackson  Countv  to 
open  up  work.  The  first  tour  covered  a  period 
of  seven  weeks,  during  which  time  he  was  not 
able  to  communicate  with  his  family.  In  the 
meantime  his  little  daughter  Emma,  whom  he 
almost  idolized,  was  taken  away.  During  the 
journey  he  lost  his  valuable  horse 
seyere  ^^^  ^^,^^  ^^  uieaus  at  the  time  to 

Trials 

purchase  another.  The  way  now 
seemed  very  dark.  He  was  among  strangers, 
without  money  or  means  of  travel,  but  in  a  very 

125 


Our  HeroeSy  or 

definite  way  God  turned  the  hearts  of  the  people 
toward  him  as  in  the  case  of  the  great  apostle 
after  his  shipwreck.  In  a  little  time  he  was  pro- 
vided with  another  horse,  and  the  closing 
months  of  the  year  were  blessed  with  gracious 
revivals  of  religion  and  many  additions  to  the 
Church. 

In  a  certain  community,  noted  for  its  wicked- 
ness and  opposition  to  missionary  work,  Mr. 
Lee  manifested  great  courage  and  had  what 
would  seem  to  be  hairbreadth  escapes  from 
losing  his  life.  He  was  to  preach  in  a  place  one 
night,  when  some  one  had  placed  a  large  block 
of  wood  just  behind  the  desk,  heavily  charged 
with  powder  and  with  a  fuse  attached.  Mr.  Lee 
being  called  in  another  direction  to  attend  a 
funeral,  secured  a  local  preacher  to  fill  the 
appointment.  While  the  opening  prayer  was 
being  offered,  the  explosion  came.  The  stick  of 
wood  went  up  through  the  roof  and  no  one  was 
hurt.  The  house  was  full  of  people.  The  meet- 
ing proceeded  as  if  nothing  out  of  the  ordinary 
had  occurred.  A  little  while  later  some  straw 
and  dry  wood  were  piled  against  the  preacher's 
barn  and  set  on  fire.  The  barn  was  blackened 
for   several   feet,   but   the   boards   did   not   get 

charred  and  the  fire  went  out.  The 
Esra**rs  missionary's   statement   was,  "The 

Lord  quenched  the  fire."  Follow- 
ing this  a  few  weeks,  a  stranger  called  to  stay 
over  night,  wanting  to  resume  his  journey  very 
early  in  the  morning.  Mrs.  Lee  went  to  tlie  well 
for  water  and  noticed  a  white  dust  on  the  inside 

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United  Bretliroi  Home  Missionaries 

of  the  curb,  and  some  of  the  powder  floating  on 
the  water.  She  did  not  use  it,  but  went  to  a 
spring  some  distance  away  to  get  water  for 
breakfast.  Mr.  Lee  went  to  the  class-leader  the 
following  day,  and  they  two  took  of  the  powder, 
which  was  yery  abundant,  and  had  it  analyzed 
by  two  different  chemists,  each  of  whom  pro- 
nounced it  arsenic.  The  class-leader  cleaned  the 
well  and  nothing  was  said  about  it  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. About  ten  years  later  a  man  in  the 
community,  after  losing  his  wife,  daughter,  and 
property,  and  when  under  the  hand  of  sore  afflic- 
tion, confessed  that  he  had  been  guilty  of  these 
seyeral  sinful  acts.  He  suffered  greatly  and 
^^could  not  die,"  he  said,  "until  he  had  confessed 
these  crimes.-' 

After  sixteen  3'ears  of  heroic  seryice,  Mr.  Lee's 
health  broke  down.  His  labors  extended  oyer 
the  Ohio  border  north  into  Isabella  County,  up 
into  the  pine  regions.  Out  of  the  work  he  openeil 
up  in  Michigan  and  to  \sliich  he  gaye  his  best 
years,  haye  been  deyeloped  all  our  work  in  that 
State.  In  the  year  of  1865  Mr.  Lee  returned  to 
Ohio,  residing  for  a  time  in  Westeryille,  then  in 
Gallon,  afterward  in  Elmwood,  Illinois,  where 
he  died  January  11,  1874,  and  where  his  body 
sleeps,  awaiting  the  resurrection. 

A  yery  happy  incident  occurred  eleyen  days 
before  his  death,  which  was  a  fitting  prelude  to 
his  entrance  upon  his  heayenly  reward.  It  was 
the  occasion  of  a  family  reunion  planned  by  his 
children.  The  day  was  indeed  "yery  much  like 
heayen,"  as  the  father  described  it;  but  late  in 

127 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

the  day  he  felt  his  strength  giving  way,  and  so 
informed  the  family.     That  night  he  had  what 

he  called  "a  vision  of  heaven."  It 
vfslln"*'^  so  enraptured  him  that  he  rejoiced 

with  exceeding  joy.  The  venerable 
servant  of  God  then  began  to  view  death  as 
God  views  it,  and,  instead  of  shrinking  from  it 
as  many  do,  he  rejoiced  in  the  prospect 
of  entering  upon  the  heavenly  glory  which  had 
opened  to  his  vision.  Ministers  of  the  town  and 
community  called  in  turn  to  hear  him  tell  the 
story.  It  was  eleven  days  before  his  departure. 
The  day  before  his  death,  seeing  his  family  in 
tears,  he  said:  "Now,  I  don't  want  any  of  you 
to  weep;  I  want  all  to  be  calm  and  quiet.  I 
think  the  change  has  about  come.  There  is  noth- 
ing to  fear.  That  God  who  has  been  my  support 
in  the  past  is  still  the  same.  I  feel  that  all  is 
well.'' 


128 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Fi7^st  Missionary  to  Tennessee, 

The  name  of  John  Ruebush  deserves  a  place 
in  the  splendid  list  of  heroes  who  distinguished 
themselves  in  the  pioneer  missionary  work  of 
Pijj^.^  the    denomination.       There    have 

Among  the  been  men  who  could  more  success- 
pioneers  fullv  Carry  on  work  once  started, 

and  by  patient,  long-continued  effort  enlarge 
and  extend  that  work,  but  few  have  there  been 
who  were  more  enthusiastic,  more  untiring, 
more  courageous,  or  more  successful  in  prepar- 
ing the  way  by  opening  new  and  unknown  fields 
than  he. 

John  Ruebush  was  born  in  Augusta  County, 
Virginia,  in  1816.  His  parents  were  sturdy, 
stanch,  upright  people  of  German  descent.  The 
environment  and  discipline  of  his  early  life  were 
such  as  to  develop  rugged  qualities  of  character 
and  fit  him  for  a  brave  and  strenuous  career. 
His  religious  life  dates  from  1831,  when  he  was 
converted  and  joined  the  United  Brethren 
Church.  His  call  to  the  ministry  immediately 
followed,  and  within  the  same  year  he  was  given 
quarterly  conference  license  to  preach. 

In  1841  he  joined  the  Virginia  Conference  and 
was  aSvSigned  to  a  circuit  in  Frederick  County, 

129 


Ou7'  Heroes y  or 

Maryland,  which  he  served  with  marked  suc- 
cess for  two  years.  His  second  pastorate  was 
in  Washington  County,  Maryland,  where  his 
Begiftning  work   as  au   evangelist  was   most 

Work  as  an        fruitful.      Somc  yct  live  to  bless 

his  memorv  who  were  led  to  Christ 
during  the  early  years  of  his  ministry.  In  1844 
he  traveled  in  West  Virginia,  where  he  assisted 
in  opening  up  new  work  in  the  remote  mountain 
regions  of  that  State.  At  the  conference  of  1850, 
which  convened  near  his  home  in  Augusta 
County,  Virginia,  he  was  elected  presiding  elder. 
His  administration  was  ^characterized  by  aggres- 
sive missionary  work.  The  boundary  lines  of 
his  mountain  district  were  pressed  westward 
until  they  included  territory  now  occupied  by 
the  West  Virginia  Conference.  Mr.  Ruebush  was 
a  born  leader.  It  required  neither  time  nor  study 
to  recognize  the  man  of  startling  mental  energy, 
of  aggressive  will,  independent,  fearless,  a  man 
of  large  horizon  and  of  bold  enterprises ;  yet  be- 
neath this  exuberance  of  rugged,  physical,  and 
intellectual  activity  it  was  easy  to  discover  an 
intense  devotion  to  his  beliefs  and  a  complete 
abandonment  of  himself  tO'  the  work  and  pur- 
pose of  his  life. 

In   1856,   when   the  Virginia   Conference  de- 
cided to  open  a  mission  in  East  Tennessee,  the 

thought  turned  instinctively  to 
Missionary  to     i^jj,   Ruebush  as  thc  loo:ical  leader 

Tennessee  .  '^ 

in  the  new  enterprise.  By  appoint- 
ment of  the  conference,  on  the  first  Monday  in 
April  he  left  his  father's  house  for  the  mission, 

130 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

taking  with  him  his  young  wife  and  little  son 
in  a  buggy.  After  a  journey  of  two  weeks  or 
more,  he  reached  the  territory  to  which  he  had 
been  assigned.  He  began  at  once  to  search  for 
members  of  the  Church  who  had  moved  out  from 
Virginia.  In  his  first  report  he  says:  "I  have 
found  thirteen  members  scattered  over  a  large 
territory.  I  have  preached  at  a  number  of 
appointments,  introducing  the  Church,  ^fy  con- 
gregations are  very  large  and  attentive.  At  this 
time  I  have  my  work  arranged  in  the  form  of  a 
three  weeks'  mission  circuit.  Last  Sabbath  I 
preached  in  the  woods  to  a  large  congregation; 
in  the  afternoon  at  a  Methodist  church,  but  the 
people  could  not  all  get  in  the  house." 

His  work  at  this  time  was  mainly  in  Washing- 
ton, Green,  and  Johnson  counties.  As  he  had 
no  houses  of  worship,  he  must  find  places  wher- 
ever he  could — in  schoolhouses,  in  private 
homes,  or  in  the  woods.  His  ability  as  a 
preacher  and  his  success  in  the  work  created 
jealousy  that  closed  the  doors  of  preaching- 
houses  of  other  denominations  to  him.  Under 
those  circumstances  he  was  not  discouraged,  but 
his  custom  w^as  to  gather  his  congregation  in  the 
groves,  where  he  loved  to  preach 
Preaches  in        ^^ie  fi^ospcl.    Hc  was  adviscd  on  one 

GroTes  ox 

occasion  to  leave  the  country  or  to 
suffer  personal  violence,  but  he  was  marked  by 
a  faith  and  courage  which  feared  no  man.  He 
has  recorded  in  a  letter  how  his  heart  was  filled 
with  love,  his  eyes  wdth  tears,  and  his  mouth 
with  arguments,  as  he  stood,  on  one  of  these 

131 


Our  Heroes^  or 

occasions,  looking  into  the  faces  of  the  rabble. 
Like  Socrates  and  Paul,  he  bore  the  persecu- 
tions of  the  multitude,  fearing  not  what  man 
might  do  unto  him.  There  were  days  when  Mr. 
Ruebush  would  spend  as  many  as  eight  hours  in 
public  worship.  When  doors  were  bolted  against 
him,  he  would  lead  his  audience  into  the  groves 
and  there  preach  as  eloquently  as  though  he 
vrere  occupying  a  cathedral. 

In  December,  1856,  he  writes:  ''I  never  felt 
as  well  satisfied  that  I  was  v/here  God  wanted 
me  to  work  as  I  have  since  I  am  on  this  mission. 
My  congregations  are  large  and  very  attentive. 
I  have  more  calls  than  three  men  can  fill.  We 
feel  the  need  of  church-houses  of  our  own.  I 
have  been  preaching  in  some  of  the  schoolhouses 
belonging  to  the  county,  but  they  will  not  accom- 
modate the  people.  When  it  is  not  too  cold,  I 
preach  out  of  doors.  Many  of  these  houses  have 
neither  stoves  nor  fireplaces  in  them.  I  fear  we 
will  be  hindered  this  winter.  May  I  express  the 
hope  that  some  of  our  Virginia  and  Maryland 
brethren  with  whom  I  have  served  for  fifteen 
years  will  see  if  they  have  not  something  to 
spare  to  help  us  build  a  church  in  Tennessee?" 

At  one   place,   a  man   who   was  an   avowed 

enemy  to  Christianity,  in  order  to  defeat  Mr. 

Ruebush  in  his  purpose  to  conduct  services  in 

tlie  community,  took  up  the  floor 

Opposition  ^^  ^j^^  schooliiouse.     But  it  took 

Conquered 

more  than  this  to  defeat  the  coura- 
geous missionary.  He  stood  on  the  doorstep  and 
preached  with  more  than  usual  power.     At  the 

132 


United  Brethren  Home  AHssionaries 

conclusion  of  the  sermon  a  dozen  or  more  people 
were  kneeling  in  prayer.  Among  them  was  tlie 
wife  of  the  man  who  was  bitterly  opi>osing  the 
work.  During  the  same  day  he  sought  a  confer- 
ence with  Mr.  Ruebush,  when  he  apologized  and, 
in  tears,  asked  not  only  his  forgiveness  but  his 
prayere,  and  invited  him  to  hold  services  in  his 
own  home.  A  great  revival  followed,  and  the 
first  United  Brethren  church  in  the  State  was 
subsequently  built  in  this  community.  It  was 
during  this  meeting  that  the  following  remark- 
able incident  occurred:  A  few  persons  cove- 
nanted to  pray  for  the  conversion 
Victory  of  ^^   ^   faniilv   lu   the  neighborhood 

Prayer  "  *^ 

that  carried  on  a  distillery.  With- 
in one  week  from  the  time  the  prayer  circle  was 
formed,  every  member  of  the  family  was  con- 
verted, and  witliin  another  week  the  old  distil- 
lery was  torn  down.  The  name  of  this  family 
was  Peters.  One  of  the  sons,  John  Petei's, 
subsequently  entered  the  ministry  and  seiwed 
the  Church  as  an  honored  minister  for  twenty 
years  or  more. 

October  25,  1857,  after  having  been  in  charge 
of  the  mission  for  twelve  months,  he  made  tlie 
following  report  from  Washington  County,  Ten- 
nessee: "I  devote  all  my  time  to  the  mission; 
I  have  eleven  api>ointments.  The  amount  tlius 
far  paid  on  salary  is  $15.82.  The  ministers  of 
other  denominations  receive  small  sums,  but  the 
brethren  seem  willing  to  do  what  they  can.  We 
held  our  quarterly  conference  and  appointed  a 
board  of  trustees  to  secure  grounds  on  which  to 

133 


Our  HeroeSy  or 

erect  a  church  and  also  tO'  take  steps  to  hold 
camp-meetings.  Sabbath  morning  we  had  a  love 
feast.  When  preaching  hour  arrived,  the  house, 
though  a  large  brick  structure,  could  not  con- 
tain more  than  half  the  people.  The  doors,  win- 
dows, and  aisles  were  filled.  Some  old-fashioned 
shouting  occurred  during  the  services.'' 

Much  opposition  was  created  against  Mr.  Kue- 
bush  and  his  Avork  by  an  editorial  that  ap- 
peared in  the  "Knoxville  Whig"  in  the  summer 
of  1858,  in  which  the  writer  sought  to  prejudice 
the  people  against  this  noble  man  of  God  by 
Opposition  asserting  that  he  hailed  from  Ohio, 

Kn^o^viiie  ^^^  ^'^^  circulatiug  literature  det- 

whig  rimental    to   the   interests   of    the 

citizens  of  the  State.  In  answer  to  these  misrep- 
resentations of  the  Knoxville  paper,  John  Law- 
rence, editor  of  the  Eeligious  Telescope,  wrote 
a  vigorous  article  in  which  he  said :  "The  editor 
of  the  Whig  is  alarmed  at  the  success  of  our 
faithful  missionary  in  bringing  souls  to  Christ, 
and  is  anxious  to  hedge  up  his  way  or  drive  him 
from  the  field  by  raising  the  cry  of  'Wolf !  wolf !' 
Rev.  John  Ruebush  does  not  hail  from  Dayton, 
Ohio,  as  his  assailant  says.  He  was  never,  to 
our  knowledge,  in  Dayton.  He  was  born,  reared, 
and  licensed  to  preach  in  Virginia,  and  in  Vir- 
ginia he  has  preached  for  fifteen  years.  United 
Brethren  missionaries  never  raise  insurrections, 
and  never  circulate  incendiary  documents.  We 
defy  the  Whig,  its  correspondent,  and  the  rest 
of  mankind  to  produce  a  single  instance  of  the 
kind." 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

How  much  injury  this  persecution  did  Mr. 
Ruebush  by  hedging  up  his  work,  we  do  not 
know.  He  fearlessly  continued  his  work,  clearly 
and  boldly  declaiming  the  principles  of  the  Bible 
and  the  doctrines  of  the  Church,  ignoring  the 
vituperation  of  the  Knoxville  Whig  and  the 
jeers  and  taunts  of  others.  In  a  letter  Avritten 
about  this  time  he  says :  ^^I  have  preached  about 
four  times  a  week  and  part  of  the  time  attended 
two  weekly  prayer-meetings.  I  have  fourteen 
appointments,  four  classes,  and  have  received 
into  the  Church  sixty-six  members.  We  are  now 
engaged  in  building  the  first  United  Brethren 
church-house  in  the  State  of  Tennessee.'' 

In  the  year  1859,  Bishop  Glossbrenner  visited 
him  and  conducted  the  dedicatory  services  of 
the  church.  From  his  account  of  the  visit,  pub- 
lished in  the  Telescope,  we  give  the  following 
extracts :  ^'The  Brethren  have  built  a  neat  and 
comfortable  chapel;  it  is  out  of  debt.  Brother 
Ruebush  has  something  in  the  treasury  for 
another  church.  When  I  arrived,  the  services 
had  begun.  Some  of  the  brethren 
Church  1^^^  brought  their  families  to  the 

Dedicated  ^ 

meeting  in  their  wagons,  and  were 
tenting  on  the  ground  about  the  church.  During 
the  services  of  the  day  twenty-five  persons  pro- 
fessed conversion.  Brother  Ruebush  has  had 
hard  work  as  a  missionary,  but  he  has  not 
labored  in  vain.  The  singing,  praying,  and 
preaching  he  has  done  would  almost  kill  two 
ordinary  men.  He  should  have  help  imme- 
diately.    At   least   two   more  missionaries  are 

135 


Our  Heroes^  or 

needed.     A  more  kind  and  liospitable  people  I 
never  met/' 

In  the  year  1860,  on  the  eve  of  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Ruebush  found  the 
difficulties  in  his  work  increasing.  He  found 
himself  facing  the  turbulent  times  which  so 
greatly  interfered  with  all  church  work  in  that 
section.  For  a  time,  however,  he  preached  with 
his  usual  freedom,  but  later  he  was  compelled  to 
confine  his  labors  to  the  rural  community  in 
which  he  resided,  and  finally  felt  it  necessary  to 
Work  abandon  the  field  and  seek  work  in 

Temporarily       auother   sectiou.      In   speaking  of 

Abandoned  .  i  i  i  i  ,  »  ■,  "^    .  t 

those  troublous  times  he  said: 
^'These  were  months  in  which  there  were  many 
trying  experiences,  narrow  escapes,  privations, 
fatigues,  exposures,  and  financial  losses."  But 
even  amid  these  difficulties  he  said:  "As  soon 
as  the  war  is  over  there  will  be  a  ripe  harvest- 
field  for  the  United  Brethren  Church  in  East 
Tennessee.''  These  words  were  prophetic.  A 
membership  of  five  thousand  in  Tennessee,  Geor- 
gia, and  Louisiana  is  now  reported  as  the  out- 
growth of  his  work. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Ruebush  resumed 
his  labors  in  Tennessee.  The  questions  that  for 
years  had  disturbed  the  peace  of  the  State  were 

now  forever  settled.  He  found  not 
Work  Q^j^ij  ^  state  of  relimous  destitu- 

Resnmed  .      ^  '^ 

tion,  but  the  people  were  really 
suffering  from  want  of  bread  and  clotliing.  D. 
A.  Beauchamp,  who  had  been  sent  from  Indiana 
to  aid  in  the  work,  gives  the  following  descrip- 

13  6 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

tion  in  a  letter  to  the  Telescope  under  date  of 
December  5,  1866 :  '^Froin  what  lu}'^  eyes  have 
seen,  and  from  what  I  have  learned  since 
being  here,  I  am  led  to  believe  that  had  we, 
in  many  parts  of  Indiana,  that  to  contend  with 
which  they  have  had  here,  many  of  us  would 
have  left  our  homes  and  lands  and  gone  into  the 
army  to  save  our  lives,  or  else  we  would  have 
settled  in  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth,  as  did 
hundreds  here.'' 

The  Tennessee  Conference  was  organized  by 
Bishop  Glossbrenner,  November  22,  1866.  Three 
ministers  were  present — J.  Ruebush,  A.  G. 
Evans,  and  D.  A.  Beauchamp.  At  this  confer- 
ence Enos  Keezel  and  R.  J.  Bishop  received 
license  to  preach;  209  members  were  reported^ 
18  Telescopes  taken,  five  Sunday 
Conference         gchools  oroauized,  with  31  teachers 

Orgranized  ^  ' 

and  206  scholars.  Mr.  Ruebush 
was  elected  presiding  elder.  The  following  year 
a  gain  of  106  was  reported  in  the  membership, 
making  a  total  of  315. 

Having  laid  what  seemed  to  him  a  good  foun- 
dation for  a  permanent  work,  Mr.  Kuebush  had 
a  desire  to  return  to  his  old  conferen^^e,  where 
he  might  spend  the  closing  days  of  his  life  with 
the  friends  and  amid  the  scenes  of  his  childhood 
and  young  manhood.  In  October,  1869,  he  took 
a  transfer  to  Virginia  Conference,  where  he 
seiwed  most  efficiently  either  as  pastor  or  as  pre- 
siding elder  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

His  devoted  wife  died  at  Keedysville,  ^lary- 
land,  in  March,  1878.     She  had  been  a  faithful 

137 


Owr  HeroeSy  o/* 

helper  and  sharer  with  her  husband  in  the  hard- 
ships and  privations  of  his  missionary  life  and 
work.  From  this  great  sorrow,  ^^Uncle  John/' 
as  he  was  familiarly  known,  never  fully  recov- 
ered. Three  years  later  he,  too, 
Death  entered  upon  his  heavenly  reward. 

In  the  fall  of  1881  he  baptized 
some  persons  by  immersion,  and,  riding  home,  a 
distance  of  three  miles,  without  change  of  cloth- 
ing, he  took  that  fatal  disease,  pneumonia,  and 
died  at  Leitersburg,  Maryland,  December  16, 
1881.  He  was  buried  by  the  side  of  his  wife 
in  the  beautiful  resting-place  of  the  dead  at 
Keedysville,  Maryland. 

Mr.  Kuebush  was  a  strong  preacher  and  a 
most  successful  evangelist,  being  frequently 
spoken  of  as  ^^tlie  Moody  of  Virginia  Confer- 
ence.'' The  spell  of  his  voice  was  wonderful, 
and  not  less  wonderful  its  range  of  power.  He 
was  a  master  in  illustrating  great  truths,  which, 
with  his  earnest  application,  forced  conviction 
to  the  minds  and  hearts  of  his  hearers.  Many 
yet  live  who  were  won  to  Christ  by  his  ministry, 
while  many  more  have  passed  over  the  river. 


138 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 


LESSON  III. 

Chapter  IX. 

1.  When  was  Alexander  Biddle  born? 

2.  What  is  said  of  his  ancestry? 

3.  What  were  his  earlj-  school  advantages?     What  of  his  later 
education  ? 

4.  When  and  where  did  his  religious  life  begin? 

5.  By  whom  was  he  baptized,  and  what  was  his  experience? 

6.  When  did  he  begin  the  ministry?     In  what  conference? 

7.  Describe  his  first  circuit  and  his  ministerial  outfit. 

8.  Give  some  of  his  experiences  on  Lisbon  Circuit. 

9.  How   was   the  mob  defeated   at  the  camp-meeting  in   Stark 
County? 

10.  W^hat  trials  came  to  him  in  1841  and  1850? 

11.  Name  some  of  his  triumphs  in  evangelistic  work. 

12.  What  had   been  the  growth   of  the   Muskingum   Conference 
during  his   fifteen  years  of  service? 

13.  When  did  he  unite  with  the  Sandusky  Conference? 

14.  What  is  your  estimate  of  Alexander  Biddle  and  his  service 
to  the  Church? 

Chapter  X. 

1.  What    is   said   of   the   pioneer   missionaries    in   the    opening 
paragraph  of  this  chapter? 

2.  What  followed  the  breaking  out  of  the  gold  excitement  in 
California  in  1849? 

3.  What  led  to  the  opening  up  of  United  Brethren  missionary 
work  in  Oregon  ? 

4.  Give    cii'cumstances    leading    up    to    Mr.    Connor's    appoint- 
ment to  that  field. 

5.  When  was  he  appointed,  and  with  what  recommendation? 

6.  When  and  from  what  place  was  the  journey  begun  ? 

7.  What  were  some  of  the  early  discouragements  he  met  ? 

8.  Who  was  his  associate  in  the  emterprise,  and  what  was  the 
size  of  the  colony? 

9.  What  can  you  say  of  the  magnitude  of  the  undertaking  and 
the  perils  of  the  way? 

10.  How  much  time  was  spent  on  the  journey? 

11.  Describe  Oregon  then  and  now. 

12.  State  briefly  the  difliculties  of  the  work  in  the  field. 

13.  What  impression  do  you  get  of  Mr.  Connor  from  his  letters? 

14.  When  and  where  was  the  Oregon  Conference  organized? 

139 


Our  Heroes,  or 


Chapter  XI. 

1.  Who  was  the  first  United  Brethren  missionary  in  Michigan  ? 

2.  When  and  where  was  Stephen  Lee  born? 

3.  When  and  under  what  circumstances  did  he  begin  religious 
wojrk? 

4.  Under  what  circumstances  was  he  given  license  to  exhort  ? 

5.  What  were  his  educational  advantages? 

6.  How  and  why  was  he  led  to  change  his  church  relations? 

7.  When  did  he  join  the  Sandusky  Conference,  and  to  what 
circuit  was  he  appointed? 

S.  Describe  his  journey  with  his  family  to  the  new  territory, 
and  the  varied  trials  of  the  year. 

9.  W^hat  does  the  daughter  say  of  their  trials  on  their  first 
Michigan  charge? 

10.  Relate  his  encounter  with  and  triumph  over  Sutherland. 

11.  What  occurred  during  his  tour  in   Jackson  County,   Michi- 
gan? 

12.  Relate  some  of  his  persecutions  and  narrow  escapes. 

13.  What  splendid  vision  opened  to  him  eleven  days  before  his 
death  ? 

14.  What  was  his  dying  testimony? 

Chapter  XII. 

1.  Who  was  the  first  United  Brethren  missionary  in  Ten- 
nessee ? 

2.  Where  and  when  was  John  Ruebush  born? 

3.  When  did  he  begin  his  work  as  an  itinerant  ? 

4.  What  can  be  said  of  his  power  and  activity  as  a  leader? 

5.  When  did  he  go  to  Tennessee  as  a  missionary  ? 

6.  What  can  you  say  of  his  courage  in  the  face  of  difficulties? 

7.  Where  did  he  especially  find  pleasure  in  preaching  the 
gospel  ? 

8.  What  incidents  are  given  of  overcoming  opposition? 

9.  What  remarkable  answer  to  prayer  is  recorded? 

10.  When  and  where  was  the  first  United  Brethren  church  in 
Tennessee  dedicated? 

11.  Why  did  he  temporarily  abandon  the  field? 

12.  When  did  he  resume  his  work  in  Tennessee? 

13.  When  was  the  Tennessee  Conference  organized  ? 

14.  What  can  you  say  of  this  hero  of  the  Cross  in  the  closing 
years  of  his  life? 


140 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Founder  of  the  Home^  Frontier,  and  Foreign 
Missionary  Society. 

The  name  of  Jolm  Collins  Bright  is  revered  by 
lovers  of  our  Zion  because  of  the  heroic  service 
he  rendered  in  the  pioneer  work  of  laying  the 
foundations  of  some  of  our  most  cherished  insti- 
tutions. His  ancestors  were  Eng- 
Ancestry  lish,  havlug  emigrated  to  America 

about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  Fortunate  is  the  child  who  can  listen 
to  stories  of  ancestors  whose  lives  are  proudly 
traced  back  through  England's  noblest  families. 
Such  was  the  privilege  of  the  descendants  of  this 
distinguished  family.  The  name  is  connected 
with  some  of  England's  most  noted  statesmen 
and  churchmen.  William  E.  Gladstone  regarded 
John  Bright,  "The  Quaker  Statesman,"  as  the 
greatest  orator,  of  which  he  had  knowledge,  that 
ever  addressed  the  British  Parliament. 

Major  Bright,  Sr.,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  married  in  1799  to  Miss  Deborah 
Moore.  A  little  while  later,  perhaps  during  the 
following  year,  they  moved  to  Fairfield  County, 
Ohio,  and  made  for  themselves  a  home  in  the 
wilderness.  Their  sole  wealth  on  arriving  in 
Ohio  was  a  few  cooking  utensils,  some  blankets, 
a  gun,  and  a  pony. 

141 


Our  Heroes,  or 

Jolin  Collins  Bright  was  born  near  Canal 
Winchester,  Ohio,  October  13,  1818.  Of  his 
childhood  days  we  have  nothing  of  extraordinary 
Bipth  and  note.  He  was  always,  according  to 

Early  his    mother's    testimony,    an    obe- 

dient  and  industrious  boy.  His 
boyhood  days  were  full  of  hardships  incident  to 
the  times  in  which  he  lived,  as  the  country  was 
new  and  the  land  was  to  be  cleared  and  made 
ready  for  cultivation.  Many  an  adventure,  hunt, 
and  ramble  were  taken  in  early  years  and  ten- 
derly recalled  in  later  life  by  Mr.  Bright.  He 
enjoyed  hunting  and  never  was  without  a  gun 
during  his  lifetime.  He  was  sensitive  and  refined 
and  was  never  known  to  use  a  vulgar  expression 
or  any  unbecoming  language  whatever. 

In  1830  the  family  moved  to  Hancock  County, 
Ohio.  On  their  way,  while  i3assing  through 
Columbus,  they  had  great  difficulty  in  crossing 
a  swamp  on  Broad  Street,  about  three  squares 
from  the  present  State  Capitol.  Soon  after 
reaching  his  new  home  he  attended  a  camp- 
meeting  conducted  by  the  cele- 
conversion  bratcd  evaugelist,  Michael  Long, 
where  he  was  converted.  He  at 
once  expressed  a  desire  to  enter  the  ministry 
and  was  granted  quarterly  conference  license  in 
the  United  Brethren  Church.  From  that  time 
the  blessings  of  God  in  a,  very  definite  way 
rested  upon  his  life  and  upon  his  work.  In  1841 
he  united  with  the  Sandusky  Conference  and 
was  appointed  tO'  a  circuit.  As  an  itinerant  he 
was   most   successful,    both   as   evangelist   and 

142 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

organizer.  He  steadily  enlarged  the  borders  of 
his  charge  by  organizing  new  classes  and  press- 
ing his  way  into  new  communities.  With  in- 
creased intensity  and  zeal  he  continued  his  mis- 
sionary work  both  as  circuit  preacher  and  pre- 
siding elder  until  the  year  1851,  when  the  Lord 
opened  to  him  a  door  intO'  a  new  department  of 
work,  for  which  he  had  been  in  special  training. 
The  command  of  Jehovah  came  to  the  General 
Conference  in  1841,  saying,  ^'Enlarge  the  place 
of  thy  tent,  and  let  them  stretch  forth  the  cur- 
tains of  thine  habitations;  spare  not,  lengthen 
thy  cords,  and  strengthen  thy  stakes."  Sx)iritual 
leaders  and  prophets  were  now  coming  to  see  the 
need  of  planning  for  a  larger  fu- 
t  ^^^  ture  of  usefulness.    With  some  the 

Epoch 

conviction  was  profound  that  the 
Church  should  take  an  advance  step  in  provid- 
ing for  the  education  of  her  youth.  This  convic- 
tion, however,  was  not  widespread.  It  is  fair 
to  say  that  some  of  these  fathers,  seeing  the 
churches  in  which  culture  was  most  common, 
under  the  sway  of  a  lifeless  formalism,  con- 
cluded, in  a  not  ver^^  logical  but  ver^^  natural 
way,  that  there  was  some  connection,  between 
higher  education  and  a  spiritual  death  so  preva- 
lent in  their  day ;  and  so  they  not  only  failed  to 
see  the  necessity  of  the  educational  work,  but 
some  of  them  actually  feared  it  as  hostile  to  the 
spiritual  life  and  power  of  the  Church.  Mr. 
Bright  was  a  stanch  friend  of  Otterbein  Uni- 
versity, the  pioneer  college  of  the  Church,  and 
its  founding  was  to  him  a  prophecy  of  the  larger 

143 


Our  Heroes^  or 

success  of  the  future.  He  saw  then  what  most 
men  see  now — that  the  Christian  college  is 
fundamental  and  vital  in  the  work  of  the 
Church.  He  was  instrumental  in  turning  many 
young  people  toward  this  institution,  as  well  as 
turning  many  of  its  noblest  young  men  toward 
the  gospel  ministry. 

In  1852  the  need  of  a  more  vigorous  and 
aggressive  evangelism  became  apparent,  and  the 
devising  of  plans  for  the  inauguration  of  such  a 
Organized  movcmeut  was  engaging  the  atten- 

Missionary         tlou  of  mauy  of  thc  leaders  of  the 
ovcmen  Cliurch.      lu    this    movemcut    Mr. 

Bright  was  the  recognized  general.  His  great 
soul  was  fired  with  an  intensity  that  is  inde- 
scribable, for  the  immediate  building  up  of  mis- 
sions in  the  new  States  and  Territories,  Canada, 
and  far-off  Africa.  He  had  already  proven  him- 
self a  successful  pioneer  preacher,  presiding 
elder,  home  missionary,  and  a  friend  of  educa- 
tion and  of  whatever  else  would  bless  mankind. 
At  a  session  of  the  Sandusk}^  Conference,  held 
in  Johnstown,  Ohio,  in  1852,  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  consider  the  question  of  world-wide 
missions,  of  which  Mr.  Bright  was  made  chair- 
man. From  the  report  of  that  committee,  which 
was  adopted  by  the  conference,  appears  the  f ol- 
io win  gt  resolution :  "The  time  has  fullv  come 
when  the  United  Brethren  Church  should  unite 
her  whole  strength  in  a  missionary  society, 
which  shall  include  not  only  the  home,  but  the 
frontier  and  foreign  fields.'^  Under  the  inspira- 
tion of  the  report,  about  seven  hundred  dollars 

144 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

were  secured  on  the  conference  floor  for  starting 

the  work.     The  action  of  this  conference,  under 

Mr.  Brio'ht's  heroic  leadership,  led 

Fonnder   of  ^  ^  ' 

Missionary  the  waj  for  the  organization,  the 
Society  following    ]May,    by    the    General 

Conference,  of  a  Home,  Frontier,  and  Foreign 
Missionary  Society.  He  is  justly  regarded  as 
the  founder  of  this  society,  and  was  very  prop- 
erly and  very  wisely  chosen  as  its  first  corre- 
sponding secretary.  The  two  most  important 
acts  of  this  General  Conference,  which  convened 
at  Miltonville,  Butler  County,  Ohio,  was  the 
organization  of  this  society  and  the  authorizing 
of  the  removal  of  the  Publishing  House  from 
Circleville,  Ohio,  to  Dayton. 

Mr.  Bright  brought  into  his  new  work  as  sec- 
retary the  splendid  leadership  and  organizing 
ability  that  had  marked  his  administration  of 
earlier  responsibilities,  and  the  results  were 
immediate  and  inspirational.  The  following 
paragraph  from  an  article  vrritten  in  tlie  first 
issue  of  the  Missionary  Telescope,  a  little 
monthly  sheet  started  by  the  Board  of  Missions, 
and  of  which,  by  virtue  of  his  office,  he  became 
editor,  will  illustrate  his  zeal :  "We  have  no 
time  to  waste  in  mere  compliments. 
Missionary  ^^  thcrcfore  beo"  leave  at  once  to 

Secretary  ^ 

make  known  the  object  of  our  mis- 
sion. We  are,  as  we  liumbly  trust,  a  servant  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  called  intO'  his  vineyard  not  to 
while  away  the  time,  to  speculate,  to  dream,  to 
take  our  ease,  hut  to  work.  We  come  to  you, 
therefore,  in  haste,  for  the  Lord's  business  de- 

145 


Our  Heroes,  or 

mands  dispatch.  We  wish  to  furnish  the  latest 
and  most  useful  missionary  intelligence  to  stim- 
ulate missionary  enterprise;  to  stir  up  men,  and 
especially  young  men  and  women,  to  consecrate 
themselves  to  missionary  work;  to  open  the 
fountains  of  benevolence  and  guide  their 
streams  into  the  proper  channels;  to  encourage 
faith  in  the  early  triumphs  of  Christ's  kingdom, 
and,  in  short,  to  join  heartily  with  all  the  labor- 
ers now  in  the  field  in  the  prosecution  by  all 
practicable  methods  of  the  great  enterprise  of 
the  age  and  of  all  ages  and  of  eternal  ages — the 
conquest  of  the  ivhole  world  for  the  Redeemer, 
This  is  our  mission,  and  if  God  has  touched  your 
heart  and  kindled  in  it  a  spark  of  missionary 
fire,  give  us  your  hand,  give  us  your  prayers,  and 
what  aid  you  can." 

It  is  easy  to  see  that  a  man  like  that,  inspired 
with  that  sort  of  a  spirit,  and  intensely  in  ear- 
nest, would  arouse  the  Church  on  the  subject  of 
missions  as  had  never  been  done  before.  Says 
one  who  knew  him  well :  "His  impassioned 
address  moved  people  to  give  as  they  had  never 
done  before.  Hundreds  multiplied  into  thou- 
sands under  his  oratory,  which  was  always  full 
of  Bible  argument,  very  earnest  and  full  of  sym- 
pathy for  the  lost.  Under  the  power  of  his  elo- 
quence the  people  felt  that  wherever  there  was 
need  of  missions  in  home,  frontier,  and  foreign 
fields,  they  must  go  without  delay.  There  were 
times  when  he  seemed  in  great  agony  because 
more  was  not  done.  John  Knox,  when  he 
prayed,  ^Oive  me  Scotland  or  I  die,'  could  not 

146 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

have  felt  more  intensely  the  weight  of  souls  than 
did  Mr.  Bright/' 

Such  work  could  not  do  otherwise  than  bring 
success.    Missions   were  planted   in   Tennessee, 
Nebraska,   Canada,    Minnesota,    ]Michigan,   Mis- 
souri, Kansas,  Oregon,  and  Africa. 
Results  The  results  of  the  first  four  years 

of  the  Board's  existence,  during 
which  time  Mr.  Bright  was  secretary,  exceeded, 
both  in  the  amount  of  money  secured  and  the 
work  accomplislied  in  new  fields,  the  expecta- 
tions of  the  most  sanguine.  Some  interesting 
incidents  occurred  in  connection  with  his  solici- 
tations of  money.  At  a  meeting  held  in  the 
boundaries  of  his  own  conference,  he  was  at  one 
time  securing  subscriptions  for  life  members 
and  life  directors,  the  former  costing  ten  dollars 
and  the  latter  fifty  dollars.  He  passed  through 
the  audience,  receiving  the  names  of  those  who 
were  willing  to  contribute.  In  the  congregation 
before  him  sat  his  own  little  boy,  about  six  years 
of  age,  and  who  had  received  that  day  from  a 
lady  with  whom  they  were  stopping,  six  cents 
for  learning  to  spell  his  name  correctly.  The 
father  knew  he  had  the  money,  and  in  order  to 
implant  in  his  little  mind  a  love  for  his  fellow- 
men,  called  from  the  pulpit  and  asked  him  to 
give  that  money  on  a  life  directorship.  The  boy 
gave  it  a  little  reluctantly,  but  has  many  times 
since  then  expressed  himself  as  glad  he  made 
the  contribution.  It  implanted  a  missionary 
spirit  in  his  young  heart,  and  has  helped  him 
to  encourage  the  same  spirit  in  others. 

147 


Our  Heroes,  or 

At  the  close  of  the  four  years'  service,  Mr. 
Bright's  health  was  much  impaired.  His  diffi- 
cult, exhausting  labors  led  to  a  nervous  break- 
down. As  the  weeks  passed,  his  vitality  steadily 
lessened,  until  he  was  driven  to 
Nervous  ^^^j^    health    in    a    sanitarium    in 

BreakdoTvn 

Cleveland.  After  resting  for  some 
time  his  health  was  partially  restored,  but  his 
physicians  forbade  his  taking  up  the  missionary 
work  again,  and,  indeed,  forbade  him  preaching 
until  he  had  more  fully  recovered  his  health. 
After  a  severe  struggle  with  himself,  he  con- 
cluded to  enter  commercial  life,  fearing  that  he 
could  not  henceforth  do  much  more  in  the  min- 
istry. This  did  not  prove  to  be  a  success  finan- 
cially. He  was  now  somewhat  broken  in  spirit 
as  well  as  in  health,  for  he  had  hoped  to  regain 
his  strength,  save  his  means,  and  enter  again 
upon  the  work  he  so  much  loved. 

He  subsequently  regained  his  health  to  such 
an  extent  that  he  served  most  successfully  as 
pastor  and  presiding  elder.  In  the  fall  of  1865 
he  was  assigned  to  Gallon  Station,  where  he 
found  twenty-five  members.  The  Sabbatli  school 
was  in  the  very  throes  of  death.  He  felt  that  he 
had  been  sent  to  this  place  to  save  a  struggling 
society.  The  salary  for  the  year  was  less  than 
four  hundred  dollars.  Mr.  Bright  went  to  work 
with  his  usual  zeal  to  promote  a 
^''*'"*  ,  revival.      Daily  his  family  would 

Revival  ^  ^ 

see  him  go  to  his  closet  and  pray 
for  hours  that  God  would  bless  him  in  his 
efforts  to  build  up  the  work.     The  answer  came 

148 


United  Bretliren  Home  Missionaries 

in  due  time.  In  December,  1865,  he  began  a 
series  of  meetings  and  continued  them  until 
February,  1866.  Above  two  hundred  souls  were 
saved,  one  hundred  and  sixty  of  whom  united 
with  the  Church.  He  was  heard  more  than  once 
to  exclaim,  ''I  have  fought  the  good  fight;  I  have 
kept  the  faith,"  and  now  that  the  victor}^  w^as 
Avon,  he  was  ready  to  go,  if  need  be.  The  church 
was  now  a  strong  one,  spiritually  and  finan- 
cially, and  his  work  apparently  was  done. 

About  this  time  the  students  of  Otterbein  Uni- 
versity were  permitted  to  use  a  cabinet  organ  in 
morning  prayers;  later,  in  the  Sunday  school 
and  on  commencement  occasions.  Some  of  the 
older  brethren  in  the  cooperating  conferences 
t]iou<:!:]it  this  an  improper  innovation.  Some 
Instrumental  mcmbers  of  Mr.  Bright's  OAvn  con- 
ckuich"  ference    were    among    them.      He, 

Services  how^evcr,  favorcd  both  instrumen- 

tal and  vocal  music  in  church  worship.  He 
was  a  pioneer  in  the  movement  which  finally 
changed  the  attitude  of  the  whole  Church  in  this 
matter.  After  his  great  revival  at  Gallon  he 
raised  money,  purchased  an  organ,  and  arranged 
for  a  volunteer  choir.  As  a  result,  he  said  Ms 
church  services  were  more  appreciated.  The 
attendance  was  increased  and  the  congregation 
in  every  way  encouraged.  With  one  exception, 
this  was  the  first  church  to  introduce  organs  or 
to  favor  instrumental  music  in  the  regular  serv- 
ices of  the  Church. 

Mr.  Bright  was  a  prophet.  Some  thought  him 
to  be  a  dreamer,  but  his  dreams  were  simply 

149 


Our  Heroes^  or 

visions  of  the  things  which,  in  the  course  of 
years,  became  realities.  He  had  a  constructive 
spirit  and  his  achievements  will  loom  larger  as 

the  years  go  by.  Few  men  of  the 
A  Prophet  Church    have    performed    a    more 

lasting  and  greater  work  than  he. 
With  the  spirit  of  the  true  hero,  he  cheerfully 
undertook  and  completed  the  hardest  tasks.  He 
has  left  an  endearing  memorial  in  the  ever- 
widening  influence  of  the  institutions  he  helped 
to  found.  Because  of  his  generosity,  his  liero- 
ism,  and  his  abundant  and  fruitful  missionary 
labors,  his  name  vrill  always  be  revered. 

In  March,  1866,  he  suffered  another  nervous 
breakdown,  which  proved  to  be  the  final  battle. 
As  the  early  spring  and  summer  months  passed, 
his  physical  decline  was  rapid,  and  on  August  6, 
1866,  he  passed  triumphantly  to  the  reward  of 
the  righteous.  Just  a  little  while  before  his  de- 
parture he  said,  "If  this  be  dying,  it  is  sweet  to 
die,''  then,  singing  one  stanza  of  his  favorite 
song,  "We  '11  wait  till  Jesus  comes  and  we  '11  be 
gathered  home,"  he  said  good-by  to  earth  and 
received  his  heavenly  welcome.  His  body  rests 
in  Green  Lawn  Cemetery,  Columbus,  Ohio, 
awaiting  the  resurrection  of  the  just. 


150 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  Pioneer  in  Missionary  and  Educational 

Work, 

To  all  who  are  workini;'  and  praying  for  the 
growth  of  our  Zion  in  all  her  departments  of 
work,  and  the  consequent  extension  of  her 
borders  in  the  home  land,  the  life,  labors,  and 
triumphs  of  Jacob  Bruner  Resler  are  an 
inspiration  and  a  hope.  He  was 
Birthplace  bom  iu  Fajette  County,  Pennsyl- 

vania, September  6,  1821.  The 
place  was  a  rural  community.  Here  in  the 
wilderness,  as  in  the  case  of  Elijah  and  John  the 
Baptist,  God  obtained  an  audience  with  the 
young  man  at  a  very  early  age. 

When  tw^enty  years  of  age,  he  received  license 
to  preach.  During  the  same  year  occurred  the 
historic  General  Conference  of  1841,  which 
marked  a  new  era  in  the  life  and  growth  of  the 
denomination.  The  crystalization  of  hitherto 
unorganized  forces  was  now  begun.  A  complete 
constitution  was  adopted  and  methods  of  defi- 
nite work  outlined.  During  the  twenty  years 
following,  institutions  of  learning  were  estab- 
lished, a  Home,  Frontier,  and  Foreign  Mission- 
ary Society  was  organized,  and  the  membership 
of  the  Church  was  multiplied  by  three. 

This  period  was  also  characterized  by  wide- 
spread revivals  of  religion.     Mr.  Resler  was  a 

151 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

hero  of  the  truest  tj^pe  in  this  Avork.  To  do  the 
work  of  an  evangelist  in  the  Alleghany  JVIoun- 
tains  sixty-five  years  ago  was  not  an  easy  task. 
It  meant  toil  and  travel  and  exposure  and  pov- 
erty of  which  in  this  our  day  we  have  little  con- 
ception. There  was  no  royal  road  to  success,  no 
easy  way  to  push  to  the  front  the  Church  of  his 

choice.  Its  limited  membership 
l^ilsfo^aT^^       was  widely  scattered.    These  early 

ministers  were  taken  from  the 
forest,  the  plow,  or  the  workshop.  In  the  main, 
they  were  men  who  preached  on  the  Sabbath 
while  they  supported  tlieir  families  from  the 
labors  of  the  week.  They  found  their  adherents 
among  men  and  women  in  private  life,  who  were 
humble  like  themselves,  and  earned  their  daily 
bread  by  the  sweat  of  their  brow. 

With  the  conviction  that  the  gospel  was  freely 
offered  to  all  men,  whatever  their  social  stand- 
ing in  life,  Mr.  Resler  went  up  and  down  the 
valle^^s  and  over  the  mountains  of  his  native 
State,  carrying  the  word  of  life  to  all.  He  was 
a  nobleman  born  of  nature  and  grace;  as  a 
preacher  he  was  a  speaker  of  deep  spirituality, 
matured  wisdom,  solid  wortb,  and  very  practical 
helpfulness,  never  falling  below  a  certain  high 
standard  of  his  own,  always  graceful  in  style 
and  delivery,  suggesting  the  manner  of  tlie  best 

of    the    Anglican    divines.      While 

charac"eriH«c^«    ^^^'^^  ^    Boanergcs   in    passionate 

denunciation,  he  did  not  shun  to 

declare  the  Avhole  counsel  of  God,  and  it  can 

never  be  said  by  any  one   who  sat  under  his 

152 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

preaching  that  they  failed  to  hear  that  they 
ought  to  be  saved,  or  missed  the  iuforination 
that  they  could  be  saved.  He  knew  men,  he 
sympathized  with  them ;  to  his  character  there 
was  the  suggestion  of  poise,  not  passion,  and  of 
regulated  enthusiasm  and  of  sanctified  common 
sense.  He  was  rareh^,  if  ever,  thrown  off  his 
guard ;  he  was  always  at  his  ease  in  dealing  with 
men  of  affairs  and  with  practical  questions.  He 
knew  the  world,  yet  was  not  of  it,  uniting  with 
a  shrewd  business  sagacitv  the  clerical  dignity 
and  demeanor  of  the  old  type. 

During  the  early  days  of  his  ministry  Mr. 
Resler  was  considered  one  of  the  most  successful 
evangelists  of  his  conference.  At  that  time 
church-houses  were  very  scarce,  and  much  of  the 
preaching  was  done  in  private  houses  and 
schoolhouses.  During  the  summer  what  were 
called  ^'bush-meetings"  and  "camp-meetings" 
were  held.  These  were  not,  as  too  many  of  them 
are  to-day,  simply  places  of  recrea- 
camp-  tion,   but  thev   were   well-planned 

Meeting  '  -^  '^    ^ 

campaigns,  resulting  in  "pitched 
battles  for  the  retaking  of  human  souls  that  had 
been  led  captive  by  the  devil  at  his  will."  Tlie 
presiding  elders,  with  the  best  preachers  from 
the  surrounding  circuits,  were  there  to  direct 
the  forces  in  the  impending  battle.  Such  earnest 
prayers,  such  pithy,  poignant  sermons,  such  fer- 
vent exhortations  to  at  once  surrender  and 
acknoAvledge  the  rightful  authority  of  the  King 
of  kings,  would  not  soon  be  forgotten.  On  occa- 
sions like  this  Mr.  Resler  was  without  a  peer. 

153 


Our  Hef^oeSy  or 

He  was  b^^  nature  fitted  to  be  a  leader.  His 
manner  was  mild,  his  address  pleasing  and  per- 
suasive; a  man  of  great  tact,  a  good  student  of 
human  nature;  his  spirit  Christ-like,  and  his 
presence  an  inspiration.  He  was  elected  pre- 
siding elder  in  Allegheny  Conference  Avhen  but 
twenty-six  years  of  age.  He  at  once  showed  mas- 
terful tact  and  ability.  The  following  story  is 
told  by  an  early  member  of  the 
teader  couf creuce :  "In  the  year  1847,  Mr. 

Eesler  held  an  old-fashioned  camp- 
meeting  on  father's  farm,  in  Clearfield  County, 
Pennsylvania.  His  visit  there  and  his  efficient 
work  will  long  be  remembered.  There  was  a 
great  revival,  and  his  ability  as  a  preacher  and 
his  superior  tact  in  managing  the  wild  moun- 
taineers, securing  their  confidence  and  preserv- 
ing good  order,  very  largely  contributed  to  the 
great  results  of  the  meeting." 

Mr.  Resler  at  one  time  and  another  occupied 
every  honored  position  in  the  Church  except  that 
of  bishop,  and  there  was  not  a  sphere  in  which 
he  was  placed  which  he  did  not  honor.  Some 
one  has  said,  "As  many  of  the  great  states- 
men of  the  past  were  in  thought  too  far  in 
advance  of  their  times  to  be  elected  President  of 
the  United  States,  so  Mr.  Resler  was  too  great  a 
prophet  and  thought  too  far  in  advance  of  the 
times  to  be  a  popular  and  successful  candidate 
for  the  bishopric  in  those  days."  He  was  a  man 
of  broad  and  liberal  views,  never  destructive 
but  always  distinctively  constructive  in  his 
work.     There  was  a  marked  heroic  element  in 

154 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

his  character ;  lie  wore  no  mask.  He  held  that  it 
was  the  glory  of  our  Protestant  faith  that  the 
respousibilit}^  rested  with  the  individual.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  and  most  vigorous  leaders  in 
changing  the  attitude  of  the  denomination 
toward  secret  societies.  While  he  never  was  a 
member  of  any  order  himself,  he  argued  that  a 
polic}^  of  opposition  w^as  not  onl}^  contrary  to  the 
spirit  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  but  greatly  hin- 
dered the  growth  of  the  Church. 

Mr.  Resler  was  a  leading  spirit  among 
the  pioneers  of  the  educational  work  of  the 
Church.  The  early  fathers  opposed  the  estab- 
lishment of  Church  schools.  This  in  part  grew 
out  of  the  fact  that  the  churches  from  which  our 
Pioneer  In  mcmbers  Originally  came  were  cold 

Educational  aud  fomial,  and  at  the  same  time 
had  an  educated  minister.  The 
conclusion  was  natural,  but  very  illogical,  that 
this  spiritual  deadness  was  the  result  of  a  cul- 
tured ministry,  which  tended  to  a  cold  intellec- 
tualism.  The  way  to  shun  that  danger  was  to 
avoid  intellectual  training  and  depend  entirely 
upon  the  direct  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  And 
yet  it  is  fair  to  say  that  these  men  claimed  not  to 
be  opposed  to  education  in  itself,  but  education 
under  the  control  of  the  Church,  claiming  that 
it  w^as  the  business  of  the  state  and  not  of  the 
church  to  see  to  the  education  of  the  people. 

]Mr.  Resler's  wide-awake  mind  early  saw  the 
need  of  a  higher  training  for  those  who  were  to 
lead  the  United  Brethren  hosts.  His  earnest- 
ness in  the  cause  of  Christian  education  was 

155 


Oiu^  Heroes  J  or 

influenced,  no  doubt,  by  an  incident  in  his  early 
life.  He  had  taken  about  tM^o  terms  at  an  acad- 
emy in  his  native  country,  and  would  have  gone 
another,  but  some  of  the  clergy  about  him,  on 
whose  judgment  he  greatly  relied,  urged  him  to 
at  once  enter  the  ministry.  They  urged,  in  sub- 
stance, that  he  was  now  a  good  preacher,  and 
that  souls  whom  he  might  save  were  going  down 
to  ruin.  He  yielded  to  their  entreaties,  and 
made  the  sad  mistake  of  his  life.  This  deter- 
mined him  to  prevent  any  man,  whom  he  could 
influence,  from  making  a  similar  mistake. 

At  a  session  of  his  conference  in  1847  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  locate  a  school  Avithin 
the  conference  territory.  Three  years  later  a 
building  was  erected  and  Mt.  Pleasant  College 
was  opened  for  students.     With  the  sentiment 

prevailing  in  the  Church,  the  pro- 
A**cMt*  motion  of  the  enterprise  required 

heroic  service.  In  1852  Mr.  Resler 
was  called  to  the  agency  of  the  school,  to  which 
he  gave  the  best  years  of  his  life.  Paragraphs 
from  his  addresses  and  articles,  while  engaged 
in  this  work,  are  still  quoted  by  our  educators  of 
to-day.  The  following  is  a  sample :  "The  object 
of  our  people  should  not  be  to  hoard  up  earthly 
treasures  for  their  children;  to  see  how  much 
increased  in  goods  they  can  become,  as  though 
this  fading  world  were  their  abiding  home.  Men 
endowed  with  such  lofty  faculties,  capable  of 
such  high  cultivation  and  usefulness,  to  be 
chained  down  to  a  few  rusty  dollars,  never  was 
the  design  of  inflnite  wisdom  and  benevolence.'^ 

156 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

As  an  evidence  of  the  manner  in  wliich  this  serv- 
ant of  God  put  his  life  into  his  work,  his  oldest 
daughter  relates  that  among  her  earliest  recol- 
lections she  would  frecjuently  wake  up  in  the 
night  and  hear  her  mother  call  to  her  father, 
who  was  still  walking  the  floor  in  anxiety  for 
the  school,  when  he  should  have  been  resting. 

As  college  agent  Mr.  Resler  was  most  tactful 
and  successful.  His  visit  to  a  home  was  always 
a  means  of  grace,  leaving  an  abiding  impression. 
The  following  incident  is  a  fair  illustration : 
"At  one  time,  when  soliciting  in  Clearfield 
County,  he  called  on  one  of  the  local  preachers 
in  the  conference,  who,  with  his  two  bo^^s,  was  in 
the  barn  threshing  some  gTain  with  a  flail.  In 
his  mild,  earnest,  insinuating  way  he  impressed 
upon  the  father,  as  he  stood  leaning  on  his  flail, 
the  importance  of  building  up  schools  to  train 
our  own  children.  ^If  vre  do  not  do  so,  we  shall 
lose  them,  for  the}^  will  go  to  other  schools 
and  drift  away  from  us.'  He  named  twenty-five 
dollars  as  the  amount  he  would  like  this  fatlier, 
in  his  humble  mountain  home,  to  contribute  to 
the  infant  school  he  was  representing.  Tliose 
listening  boys  were  drinking  in  the 
A  Memorable      arQumeuts  addrcssed  to  the  father. 

visit  ~  ' 

nnd  the  matter  of  education  seemed 
more  important  to  them  than  it  ever  did  before. 
Finally  the  father  said,  'We  will  go  to  tlie  liouse 
and  see  mother  about  it.'  The  result  was,  the 
m.oney  asked  for  was  pledged."  In  the  inspira- 
tion of  that  visit,  those  boys  began  at  once  to 
plan  for  an  education,  and  finally  entered  tliis 

157 


Our  Heroes^  or 

very  college.  They  subsequently  arose  from  one 
position  to  another  in  the  educational  work  of 
the  Church,  from  which  field  one  was  called  to 
the  bishopric  and  the  other  to  the  editorial  chair 
of  the  Religious  Telescope.  But  for  that  visit  of 
Mr.  Eesler  to  their  mountain  home,  and  those 
arguments  to  which  they  listened  that  day,  how 
very  different  the  history  of  those  two  distin- 
guished servants  of  God  might  read ! 

In  the  year  1857,  Mt.  Pleasant  College  was 
transferred  to  Otterbein  University,  at  Wester- 
ville,  Ohio.  A  few  years  later  Mr.  Resler,  with 
his  family,  also  moved  to  that  place.  This 
mother  of  our  educational  institictions  never  had 
a  warmer  friend  or  more  loyal  supporter  than 
Mr.  Resler.  He  was  also  identified  with  the  early 
history  of  Lebanon  Valley  College  and  Union 
Interest  in  BibUcal  Seminary.  Mr.  Resler  had 
Towns  a  deep  interest  in  the  young  life  of 

People  ^1^^  Church.     His  visit  in  a  home 

ahvays  implied  two  things:  First,  to  inquire 
after  the  spiritual  interests  of  the  members  of 
the  family,  and  then  to  endeavor  to  interest  the 
young  people  of  the  home  in  a  college  education. 
This  work  was  not  done  in  a  perfunctory  way, 
but  it  was  prompted  by  a  deep  interest  in  the 
Church  and  in  the  possibilities  of  the  young 
people.  Many  yet  living  call  him  blessed  for 
opening  to  them  a  larger  vision  of  life  and  its 
possibilities.  It  is  said  that  no  minister  of  his 
times  turned  more  young  men  toward  the  gospel 
ministry  than  did  he.  Gathering  a  company  of 
the  boys  of  the  college  together,  he  would  open 

158 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

up  to  them  the  work  of  the  holy  office.  Many 
of  the  students  of  our  colleges,  especially  Otter- 
bein  University,  have  put  away  among  their 
most  sacred  memories  an  earnest  talk  which  at 
some  time  Mr.  Resler  kindly  gave  them,  urging 
them  to  be  responsive  to  the  divine  call  to  this 
greatest  of  all  work. 

He  died  in  Westerville,  Ohio,  April  27,  1891, 
having  reached  the  age  of  seventy  years.  The 
funeral  sermon  was  delivered  by  Bishop  J. 
Weaver.  His  pastor  at  that  time  said:  ''Dur- 
ing the  last  year  of  his  life  his  thought  dwelt 
much  on  heaven  and  immortality,  and  with  an 
ever-increasing  meaning  he  was  able  to  sing  the 
song  of  his  life,  'Savior,  more  than  life  to  me.' 
This  song,  in  the  minds  of  many,  has  no  exist- 
ence apart  from  Father  Resler.  It  was  his  song 
of  peace,  his  song  of  battle.    He  sang  it  when  his 

children  were  married,  and  he  sang 
A  Tribute  it  wlicu  they  died.    He  was  a  great 

inspiration  in  the  services,  for  he 
had  really  learned  the  art  of  successful  worship. 
The  pastor  always  knew  there  was  at  least  one 
heart  that  was  keeping  up  with  him,  and  not 
only  taking,  but  giving  that  which  even 
amounted  to  a  real  inspiration.  We  shall  always 
see  him  as  he  sat  in  his  accustomed  place,  lean- 
ing hard  on  his  staff  with  botli  hands,  his  sym- 
pathetic eyes  steadily  fastened  on  the  pastor, 
his  face  yielding  a  glow  of  heavenly  sunshine, 
and  he  had  acquired  the  rare  faculty  of  knowing 
just  when  and  how  to  say  'Amen.'  It  was  not 
merely  professional,  it  was  heaven-sent." 

159 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A  Hero  of  Lower  Wahash  Conference. 

Conspicuous  among  those  who  have  wrought 
nobly  and  heroically  in  pioneer  mission  work  in 
the  Central  West  is  the  name  of  Walton  Clay- 
borne  Smith.  His  early  days  Avere  spent  in  a 
rural  German  home  not  far  from  Winchester, 

Frederick  County,  Virginia,  where 
Birthplace  lie  was  bom   September  23,   1822. 

Nature  provided,  as  his  early 
teachers,  a  beautiful  section  of  the  Shenandoah 
Valley  with  its  sublime  setting  of  mountains, 
the  impress  of  Avhich  were  subsequently  seen  in 
the  elevation  of  his  thoughts  and  the  breadth  of 
his  sympathies.  But  the  most  positive  force  that 
shaped  his  distinguished  career  was  the  influ- 
ence of  a  devout  Christian  home.  He  was  fre- 
quently heard  to  remark,  "It  is  an  unspeakable 
blessing  to  have  been  born  of  pious  parents. 
This  privilege  was  mine.'' 

In  the  year  1834  the  family  immigrated  to 
Vermillion  County,  Indiana.  The  journey  wavS 
made  in  a  covered  Avagon.  Their  progress  over 
rocky  ridges,  across  the  Alleghanies,  or  winding 
among  trees  and  stumps,  along  newly-cut  roads, 
through  the  dense  forests,  was  slow  and  tire- 
some, re(|uiring  several  weeks  and  even  months, 

160 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

but  they  finally  reached  their  destination  in  the 
wilds  of  Indiana.  The  country  was  then  new, 
schools  were  necessarily  poor,  and  young  Smith 
grew  to  manhood  with  very  limited  educational 
advantages  so  far  as  books  were  concerned.  His 
eaidiest  religious  impressions  were  occasioned 
by  the  words  of  his  mother,  whose  admonitions, 
accompanied  and  reenforced  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  led  him  to  the  Cross.  On  the  last  day  of 
December,  1840,  at  what  was  then  known  as  the 
"Cross  Roads  Schoolhouse,"  near  Perryville,  In- 
diana, he  made  a  full  surrender  to  God  and 
Conversion  uuitcd  wlth  the  Church.  Soon  after 
Call  to  his   conversion   he   was  impressed 

^  ^^^  that  he  ought  to  enter  the  ministry, 

but,  being  of  a  timid  disposition  and  shrinking 
under  the  responsibilities  of  the  ministry,  he 
kept  the  matter  to  himself.  Finally  the  impres- 
sions grew  so  strong  that  he  made  known  his 
feelings  to  his  pastor,  and  the  following  Septem- 
ber was  given  license  to  preach. 

Mr.  Smith  joined  the  Wabash  Conference  in 
1848,  at  which  time  he  was  assigned  to  his  first 
charge,  known  as  Concord  Circuit,  which  cov- 
ered portions  of  Tippecanoe,  Boone,  and  Mont- 
gomery counties,  Indiana.  He  describes  most 
touchingly  his  feelings  on  the  morning  when  he 
turned  his  back  upon  the  home  of  his  youth, 
with  all  the  pleasant  associations  clustering 
about  it:  "As  I  pressed  my  way  on  horseback 
to  my  circuit,  I  went  with  an  aching  heart  and 
weeping  eyes,  all  the  time  feeling  the  responsi- 
bility of  the  work  and  my  inability  for  a  calling 

161 


Our  HeroeSy  or 

of  such  magnitude."     A  circumstance  occurred 

at  his  second  quarterly  meeting  which  greatly 

encouraged  him.     There  was  a  vacancy  on  the 

district,  and  to  properly  supply  it 

B^^il^in^^i*^  ^^^^  presiding  elder  proposed  to 
change  Mr.  Smith  to  another 
charge,  but  could  not  legally  do  so  without  the 
consent  of  the  quarterly  conference.  Having  ex- 
plained the  matter  and  asked  their  consent  to 
move  their  preacher,  they  said  with  one  voice, 
^'We  cannot  consent  to  have  you  take  our  boy 
preacher  from  us."  This  encouraged  him  and 
he  pushed  forward  with  increased  zeal  and 
energy.  Great  revivals  followed  and  money  was 
secured  to  complete  two  church-buildings. 

At  the  next  session  of  the  annual  conference 
a  resolution  was  passed  requiring  each  pastor  to 
preach  a  missionary  sermon  and  take  an  offering 
to  aid  two  home  missionaries  in  the  conference. 
This  was  a  new  departure;  nothing  of  the  kind 
had  ever  been  undertaken  before.  Mr.  Smith 
had  never  heard  a  missionary  sermon,  had  never 
witnessed  the  taking  of  a  missionary  offering, 
but  he  thoui^ht  it  was  his  dutv  to  do  what  the 
conference  had  assigned  him.  He  looked  up 
some  scripture  texts  that  made  reference  to  the 
His  First  preaching  of  the  gospel,  preached 

Missionary         the    bcst    he    could,    and    passed 
ermon  through    the   audience   in    person, 

asking  for  money.  By  this  means  he  secured 
nine  dollars,  nearly  one-fourth  of  the  amount 
collected  that  year  in  the  entire  conference.  The 
Church  was  favored  with  great  prosperity.    One 

162 


United  BretJiren  Home  Missionaries 

hundred  souls  were  won  to  Christ  and  the  pastor 
reported  seventy-five  dollars  salary  for  the  year's 
work. 

The  following  year  he  was  assigned  to  West- 
field  Circuit,  Illinois.  The  year's  work  was 
chai'acterized  by  gracious  revivals  and  a  large 
ingathering  of  souls.  Some  of  the  meetings 
were    held    in    dwellino'-houses.      In    one    com- 


'{5 


munity  the  people  became  anxious  for  a  meet- 
ing, but  there  was  neither  church-house  nor 
schoolhouse  in  the  community.  A  brother  said, 
"We  will  make  a  church-house  out  of  our  dAvell- 
ing."  They  vacated  the  largest  room  they  had, 
put  seats  in  it,  announced  the  meeting,  and  peo- 
ple came.  A  revival  followed,  resulting  in  forty 
conversions  and  accessions  to  the  Church,  and  a 
church-house  was  subsequently  built  in  the  com- 
munitv.  Durino^  the  vear  Mr.  Smith  traveled 
more  than  four  thousand  miles  on  horseback, 
preached  more  than  three  hundred  sermons,  and 
received  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  persons 
into  the  Church.  His  salary  for  the  year  was 
one  hundred  dollars. 

On  August  8,  Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Sarah  A.  Lockett,  of  Vermilion 
County,  Indiana.  She  was  deeply  pious,  pos- 
sessing fine  social  qualities,  with  an  ability  to 

scatter  sunshine  upon  those  around 
Marriage  her.     She  entered  at  all  times  into 

the  work  of  her  husband,  and 
proved  to  be  to  him  a  tower  of  strength.  Her 
home  was  the  center  of  attraction  for  the 
young  ladies  of  Westfield  College,  and  many  a 

163 


Our  Heroes,  or 

poor  girl,  oppressed  with  homesickness,  has 
been  encircled  in  her  kindly .  arms  and  nursed 
back  to  health  and  activity.  In  all  the  confer- 
ences cooperating  with  that  institution,  there 
has  never  been  a  woman  more  loved  and  appre- 
ciated than  "Auntie  Smith."  In  all  human  prob- 
ability the  husband  would  not  have  developed 
into  so  efficient  a  worker  had  he  not  been  so  well 
helped  at  home. 

In  1850  he  again  served  Westfield  charge. 
Within  ten  days  after  his  appointment  he  was 
in  the  midst  of  a  revival  which  resulted  in  the 
organization  of  a  class  of  thirty  members.  Ee- 
vival  succeeded  revival  as  weeks  went  by.  The 
year  proved  to  be  one  of  unusual  success,  result- 
ing in  the  organization  of  a  number  of  new  so- 
cieties and  the  gathering  in  of  210  precious 
souls. 

As  an  example  of  self-sacrificing  heroism,  the 
following  incident  is  given :  "In  1853  he  said  to 
his  elder,  ^If  you  wish  to  send  me  to  that  mis- 
sion, of  which  the  brethren  seem  so  fearful,  I 
will  go.  Were  it  a  good  charge  I 
unseiflsh  would  uot  ask  for  it.'  "     He  went 

Request 

to  this,  tlie  hardest  field  in  the  con- 
ference, at  his  own  expense,  paid  his  own  house- 
rent,  and  went  to  work  with  all  the  earnestness 
of  his  being.  Within  a  few  weeks  the  death 
angel  visited  his  little  home  and  took  away  his 
first-born  child,  a  darling  boy  of  ten  months. 
At  the  first  quarterly  conference  not  one  dollar 
was  reported  for  the  support  of  the  preacher. 
It  looked  like  a  hard  task,  but  he  determined, 

164 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

with  God's  help,  to  hold  to  it  a  little  longer. 
The  Lord  blessed  his  efforts,  revival  followed  re- 
vival. New  appointments  were  taken  up  and 
new  classes  formed.  The  work  was  so  enlarged 
that  by  the  close  of  the  year  it  required  about 
three  hundred  miles  of  travel  to  complete  one 
round  on  the  charge.  Over  one  hundred  addi- 
tions were  made  to  the  Church,  and  he  was  paid 
ninety  dollars  for  his  work.  Within  the  terri- 
tory embraced  in  that  mission  are  now  eight 
charges,  with  twenty  church-houses. 

In  1854  Mr.  Smith  was  elected  presiding  elder, 
which  position  he  filled  with  distinction  for 
seven  successive  years.  His  diplomacy  and 
leadership  in  this  office  have  perhaps  never  been 
excelled  in  the  denomination.  He  was  a  man  of 
vision,  and  his  spirit  of  faith  and  courage  was 
contagious.  No  difficulty  seemed  too  great  for 
him  to  surmount  in  order  to  meet  his  engage- 
ments.    On  his  way  to  a  quarterly  conference 

with  two  young  ministers,  the  en- 
Trair"""^"*        gine  broke  down,   and,  having  no 

hope  of  being  repaired  soon,  the 
elder  said,  "We  will  set  up  an  independent 
train,"  and  with  grips  in  hand  they  pulled  out 
for  a  twent^^-five-mile  run.  Though  tlie  day  was 
warm,  they  made  good  progress  and  reached  the 
desired  station  in  due  time.  One  of  these  young 
ministers  was  T.  W.  Joyce,  late  bishop  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  given 
license  to  exhort  at  that  quarterly  conference. 
This  Avas  a  mission  charge,  a  weak  church,  and  a 
small  congTegation.    The  collections  on  Sabbath 

165 


Our  Heroes,  or 

were  |4.50.  One-half  went  to  the  preacher,  and 
the  remainder,  |2.25,  to  the  elder.  There  was  no 
complaining,  each  one  thanking  God  that  he  was 
counted  worthy  to  be  a  messenger  of  salvation. 
His  district  in  Illinois  in  1857  required  a  jour- 
ney of  more  than  one  thousand  miles  to  complete 
one  round.  The  revival  influence  began  with  the 
work  of  the  year,  and  about  1,100  souls  were 
converted  and  brought  into  the  Church.  He 
made  it  a  point  to  begin  his  quarterly  meetings 
Friday  evening,  and  whenever  possible  he  would 
protract  the  meeting,  barely  giving  himself  time 
to  reach  his  next  appointment.  One  of  the  most 
hazardous  acts  of  his  life  occurred  during  this 
year.  It  was  in  the  month  of  May.  Excessive 
rains  had  fallen  and  the  streams  were  overflow- 
ing their  banks.     Starting  for  his  appointment, 

he  came  to  the  little  Wabash  Kiver. 
Esclper**''        The  main  stream  was  bridged,  but 

from  the  bridge  it  was  two  miles 
out  to  the  bluif s,  all  of  which  w^as  under  water. 
He  tried  to  hire  a  guide,  but  failed.  The  only 
alternative  was  to  ford  the  stream  for  two  miles, 
or  fail  to  meet  his  engagement.  Having  been 
over  the  road  once  before,  he  remembered  that 
there  were  two  so-called  puncheon  bridges  on 
the  road  without  any  railing  to  mark  their  loca- 
tion. To  miss  these  bridges  was  to  go  down  into 
the  water  some  ten  or  fifteen  feet.  Asking  for 
divine  guidance,  he  started  in  and  passed  over 
the  bridges  safely,  and  thereby  avoided  swim- 
ming the  stream.  He  reached  his  appointment 
in  time    and    organized  a  class  of  twenty-four 

166 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

members,  who  have  since  erected  a  good  church 
and  parsonage. 

In  1S61  an  institution  of  learning  was  started 
at  Westfield,  Illinois,  called  Westfield  Seminary 
— now  Westfield  College.  The  following  year 
the  conference  was  asked  to  take  the  school 
under  its  supervision  as  a  Church  school,  which 
it  did,  not,  however,  without  considerable  oppo- 
sition. It  was  thought  necessary  to  have  an 
Father  of  agcut  for  the  school,  and  before  the 

Westfield  time  for  the  election  of  elders,  the 

College  conference  selected  Mr.   Smith  as 

agent  for  the  young  institution  of  learning.  He 
entered  upon  his  work  with  no  small  amount  of 
misgiving,  but,  trusting  in  God  for  help,  he  went 
forward  from  year  to  year  until  he  had  devoted 
twenty-one  of  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  this 
department  of  Church  work.  He  might  very 
truly  be  called  the  father  of  Westfield  College. 
Some  one  says:  ^'Uncle  Smith  has  waded  more 
mud  and  breasted  more  storms,  hunting  for 
money  and  sinners,  than  any  other  man  in  the 
denomination." 

In  1841  a  conference  missionary  society  was 
organized  and  Mr.  Smith  elected  as  its  treas- 
urer, which  position  he  filled  until  his  death.  He 
lived  the  prayer  life.  In  all  things  he  trusted  in 
God  for  direction  and  safety,  as  the  following 
incident  will  illustrate:  While  missionary 
treasurer,  and  before  funds  w^ere  distributed  by 
check  as  they  are  to-day,  he  carried  large  sums 
of  money  to  the  conference  each  year.  On  one 
occasion,  when  going  to  conference,  he  reached 

167 


Our  Heroes y  or 

the  railway  station  too  late  for  the  train.  It  was 
late  in  the  evening  and  he  had  an  important  en- 
gagement for  eight  o'clock  the  following  morn- 
ing. After  presenting  his  case  to  the  ticket- 
agent,  he  was  informed  that  there  would  be  no 
passenger  trains  before  late  the  following  after- 
noon, but  that  a  freight  train  would  be  due  in  a 
short  time,  and  if  he  desired,  he  might  board  a 
box  car  and  thus  reach  the  conference  in  time  to 
meet  his  engagement.  After  a  moment's  medita- 
tion and  prayer,  he  decided  to  act  upon  the  sug- 
gestion. When  the  train  arrived,  he  boarded  a 
car,  with,  his  money-bag  in  one 
Thrilling  hand  and  some  articles  of  clothing 

Incident  ^ 

in  the  other.  After  placing  these 
articles  in  one  end  of  the  car,  he  observed  two 
rough-looking  men  at  the  other  end  of  the  car, 
engaged  in  playing  cards  under  a  dim  candle- 
light. He  also  observed  a  revolver  lying  in  front 
of  them.  What  should  he  do?  As  his  custom 
was,  he  consulted  God  for  a  moment,  then, 
advancing  toward  the  men,  he  said :  ^'Gentlemen, 
I  am  a  preacher.  If  you  don't  object,  I  should 
like  to  read  a  passage  of  scripture,  offer  a 
prayer,  and  then  preach  a  little  sermon."  They 
immediatel^y  gathered  up  their  cards,  and,  under 
the  subduing  presence  of  the  man  of  God,  they 
told  him  to  proceed.  Kneeling  down  before  the 
little  candle,  he  opened  his  pocket-Bible,  read  a 
few  verses,  offered  a  tender  prayer  for  the  two 
strangers,  then  preached  a  fifteen-minute  ser- 
mon. Tlie  men  were  visibly  affected.  Mr.  Smith 
then  bade  them  good-niglit  and  returned  to  tlie 

168 


United  Brt'throi  Home  MissioncuHcs 

other  end  of  the  car  with  the  assurance  that  he 
was  in  perfect  safety,  and,  hiving  his  head  upon 
the  little  valise  which  contained  the  money,  he 
soon  fell  asleep.  When  he  awoke  the  next  morn- 
ing-, near  the  place  where  the  conference  was 
convened,  his  two  traveling  companions  were 
gone. 

Mr.  Smith's  chief  characteristics  were  utter 
and  absolute  consecration  of  liimself  to  his  work, 
and  intense  perseverance  and  lionesty  of  purpose 
in  that  work.  He  had  in  him  the  heroic  spirit, 
the  spirit  that  scorned  ease  if  it  must  be  pur- 
chased by  failure  to  do  duty.  He  was  not  con- 
consecrafion  sidcrcd  a  great  preacher,  but  he 
*o  His  Avas  regarded  as  a  great  nmn  with 

a  great  personal  influence.  His 
eloquence  was  the  eloquence  of  character  ratlier 
than  speech.  He  occupied  an  influential  and 
honored  place  in  the  high  councils  of  the  Church 
for  more  than  a  half  century.  He  represented 
his  conference  in  tlie  General  Conferences  of 
1857,  1861,  1865,  1869,  1873,  1877,  1893,  and 
1897. 

The  memors"  that  is  left  to  us  is  of  a  man 
whose  character  was  as  noble  as  liis  faith  was 
unfailing  and  his  labors  tireless.  His  very  pres- 
ence begat  respect,  but  when  his  sweet  and 
generous  spirit  was  known  and  his  supreme  de- 
votion to  his  divine  Lord  was  appreciated, 
admiration  and  love  came  as  naturally  as  does 
the  fruitage  to  the  vine  that  bears  it;  there  was 
happily  blende^l  in  him  the  spirit  of  the  Boa- 
nerges with  that  of  the  "disciple  beloved" — the 

169 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

tenderness  of  one  supplementing  the  forceful- 
ness  of  the  other. 

^'Uncle  Smith"  belonged  to  the  order  of 
Calebs,  who  preferred  to  remain  in  the  active 
service  until  transferred  by  the  great  General  of 
the  Lord's  armies  from  the  church  militant  to 
the  church  triumphant.  The  frosts  of  many 
winters  had  whitened  his  head  to  a  snowy  white- 
ness, yet  he  labored  and  preached  almost  to  the 
last  hour  of  his  eventful  life.  He  was  unable  to 
attend  the  session  of  Lower  Wabash  Conference 
which  convened  two  months  before 
R^^i^^*"  his  death,  this  being  the  only  ses- 

sion in  sixty  years  that  he  was 
unable  to  answer  at  roll-call.  But  he  sent  to  the 
conference  the  familiar  book  and  valise  that  he 
had  been  carrying  for  forty-four  years.  When 
they  were  exhibited  by  the  bishop,  the  entire 
audience  were  melted  to  tears. 

On  the  17th  of  October,  1905,  from  his  home 
in  Westfield,  111.,  he  entered  upon  his  heavenly 
reward.  How  rich  must  have  been  the  reward 
of  more  than  sixty  years'  toil  such  as  he  gave  in 
the  Master's  service.  A  little  while  before  his 
departure  he  remarked:  "My  work  is  done;  I 
am  homesick  for  heaven.  I  want  to  go.  Most  of 
my  associates  are  gone.  I  have  asked  God  to 
send  the  chariot  for  me.     I  think  he  will,  soon." 

Among  the  colaborers  of  this  hero  of  the  Cross 
in  laying  the  foundation  of  our  Zion  in  western 
Indiana  and  southern  Illinois  were  J.  Griflflth, 
W.  M.  Givens,  S.  Mills,  J.  W.  Nye,  and  C.  H. 
Jones. 

170 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Leader  and  Organizer  of  Work  in  West  Virginia, 

It  has  been  wisely  ordered  by  the  providence 
that  has  shaped  their  destiny  that  great  spir- 
itual cai)tains  should  come  from  humble  homes 
and  be  reared  amid  hardship  and  difficulty,  that 
they  might  at  last  step  forth  strong  and  true 
men,  capable  of  giving  battle  to  the  forces  of 
evil.  From  such  a  home  and  early  experiences 
came  forth  Zebedee  Warner. 

He  was  born  in  Pendleton  County,  Virginia 
(now  West  Virginia),  February  28,  1833.  It 
was  one  of  the  most  rugged  and  secluded  sec- 
tions of  that  vast  mountain  State.  When  but  a 
youth  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  father, 
leaving  a  widowed  mother  to  care  for  five  little 
children  and  in  turn  to  be  cared  for  by  them  in 
later  years.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  professed 
conversion  and  joined  the  United  Brethren 
Church.  His  educational  advantages  up  until 
that  time  had  been  very  limited.  Two  or  three 
terms  in  a  subscription  school  near  his  mountain 
Conversion  home  SO  Sharpened  his  appetite  for 
Educational        kuowlcdge    that,     when     eighteen 

Advantages  ^^^^^     ^^     ^^^^     ^^     ^^^^^     j^/^     ^^^ 

to  t])e   Northwestern   Academy  at   Clarksburg, 
West  Virginia,  where  he  knocked  for  admission, 

171 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

a  stranger  and  Avithout  money.  Here  he  re- 
mained one  year,  taking  care  of  the  school-build- 
ing as  the  only  means  of  paying  his  tuition,  and 
working  Saturdays  to  pay  in  part  his  board  bill. 
Home  trained,  self -disciplined,  he  was  a  student 
all  his  days.  That  sentiment  which  was  chiseled 
on  the  monument  of  Greene,  the  English  his- 
torian, may  be  as  appropriately  written  above 
the  grave  of  Zebedee  Warner:  "He  died  learn- 
ing." 

Mr.  Warner  first  chose  the  medical  profession 
as  his  life  work.  Not  being  satisfied,  he  later 
turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of  law.  Still 
he  was  restless,  and  so  remained  until  led  bv  the 
Hol}^  Spirit  to  enter  the  highest  of  all  callings — 
that  of  the  Christian  ministry.  On  the  22d  of 
October,  1853,  he  was  granted  a  quarterly  con- 
ference license  to  preach,  and  the  following  Feb- 
ruary, as  a  junior  preacher,  entered  upon  his 
first  pastoral  charge,  Hagerstown  Circuit,  in 
Virginia  Conference.  In  1856,  after  traveling  a 
year  on  a  charge  in  the  valley  of  Virginia,  he 
was  appointed  to  "West  Columbia"  Circuit,  in 
the  extreme  western  portion  of  the  State.  His 
Avork  in  that  section  with  J.  Bachtel,  J.  W. 
Perry,  and  a  few  others,  resulted  in  the  organ- 
ization of  a  new  conference.     The   conference 

Parkersburs  ^^^^    ^^^    initial     SCSSlOU    at     Center- 

Conference  ville,    Taylor    County,    West    Vir- 

organ  zed  giula,    lu    March,    1858,    and    was 

named  "Parkersburg  Conference."  The  terri- 
tory it  embraced  was  the  most  rugged  and  per- 
liaps  the  most  difficult  to  travel  of  any  in  the 

172 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Church.  Some  members  of  the  Virginia  Confer- 
ence predicted  that  in  a  few  years  it  would  be 
abandoned  and  the  members  would  be  glad  to 
return  to  the  mother  conference. 

The  first  charge  assigned  Mr.  Warner  by  the 
new  conference  was  known  as  ''Taylor  Circuit,'- 
embracing  portions  of  Taylor,  Harrison,  Barber, 
Upshur,  and  Randolph  Counties.  During  the 
two  3^ears  he  served  this  charge  the  family  resi- 
dence was  a  little  log  cabin  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  town  of  Philippi,  in  Barber  County.  The 
distances  to  be  traveled  over  mountain  passes 
and  through  dense  forests,  with  the  bridgeless 
streams  to  be  crossed,  often  detained  him  for 
many  days  from  his  family.  Recounting  the  ex- 
periences of  the  two  years'  missionary  work  on 
that  charge,  he  said  with  tear-filled  eyes :  "One 
of  the  severest  trials  that  came  to  us  was  the 
tragic  death  of  a  darling  little  daughter.  On  my 
arrival  one  autumn  evening,  after 
Triai^*'*  an    unusually    long    absence,    my 

three  little  children  came  running 
to  meet  me,  each  having  a  desire  to  receive  the 
first  kiss  and  embrace,  when  little  daughter  was 
kicked  by  my  horse  and  instantly  killed.  .  .  . 
The  salary  received  for  the  year  was  one  hun- 
dred dollars,  out  of  which  we  paid  our  own 
house  rent.  There  were  times  when  Ave  were 
facing  actual  want,  but  Mrs.  Warner  never 
scraped  the  bottom  of  the  flour  barrel  that  the 
Lord  didn't  hear  the  appeal  and  send  us  aid." 

In  1862  Doctor  Warner  was  elected  presiding 
elder.     In  this  position  he  served  AAith  distin- 

173 


Our  Heroes,  or 

guished  ability  for  seven  successive  years.  His 
quarterly  meetings  were  great  religious  feasts, 
and  his  camp-meetings  occasions  of  moral  and 
spiritual  regeneration  which  often  changed  the 

character  of  multitudes.  As  a 
preswins  workcr  he  had  but  few  equals.  His 

powers  of  endurance  were  very 
wonderful.  He  neglected  no  duty,  however  hard. 
The  dauntless  courage  with  which  he  met  and 
endured  privations  and  hardships  must  be 
attributed  to  his  intense  loyalty  to  "Christ  and 
him  crucified,"  and  his  all-absorbing  love  for 
souls  and  desire  for  God's  glory.  He  allowed  no 
obstacle  to  dampen  his  enthusiasm,  no  danger  or 
privation  to  stand  in  his  way,  and  no  disappoint- 
ment, no  discouragement  could  shake  his  faith. 
From  the  day  Parkersburg  Conference  was 
organized  he  became  its  acknowledged  leader. 
His  breadth  of  mind,  largeness  of  heart,  indus- 
try, and  consecration  to  his  Master  and  his  work, 
readily  won  for  him  this  place.  Like  a  mighty 
general  he  cheered  on  his  struggling  brethren  in 

the  face  of  untold  difficulties,  by 
Ge^*S*^  his  unconquerable  optimism,  which 

was  the  outcome  not  only  of  his 
naturally  hopeful  mind,  but  of  an  unwavering 
faith  in  God.  He  embodied  all  the  essential  ele- 
ments of  a  great  leader. 

Doctor  Warner  gave  himself  ardently  to  the 
discovery  and  development  of  young  men.  He 
had  the  rare  gift  of  calming  opposition  by  recog- 
nizing and  winning,  "catching  and  training'' 
future  leaders  when  they  were  young.    He  held 

174 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

the  rudder  of  his  conference  with  a  hand  always 
steady,  a  vision  always  clear,  a  heart  always 
brave,  and  a  faith  always  strong.  Sometime  in 
the  sixties  he  organized  a  "Ministerial  x\ssocia- 
tion,"  which  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  a 
Pioneer  "Theological    Institute"  especially 

as  Trainer  ^      ^^^^  training  of  the  young  men 

of   \ouns  &  ^  » 

Ministers  of  tlie  coufereuce  who  had  not  the 

advantage  of  the  schools.  Year  after  year  he 
called  them  together  and  served  as  instructor 
witliout  any  compensation.  This  noble  and 
heroic  service  won  for  him  the  love  and  devotion 
of  all.  It  was  perhaps  the  first  work  of  the  kind 
instituted  in  the  denomination.  Doctor  Warner 
was  pastor  in  Parkersburg,  West  Virginia,  from 
1869  to  1880,  which  was  probably  the  longest 
pastorate  ever  served  in  the  denomination  up 
until  that  time. 

He  will  long  be  remembered  as  one  of  the 
greatest  x^ulpit  orators  of  his  State  and  of  his 
Church.  He  possessed  a  rugged  mind  which 
forged  majestic  thoughts  and  delivered  them 
with  tremendous  eloquence.  His 
Great  public   addresscs    were    alwavs   of 

Preacher  ^ 

high  order — large-minded,  sugges- 
tive, and  sometimes  even  majestic  in  their  scope. 
But  the  pulpit  was  his  throne,  and  greater  even 
than  his  lectures  were  some  of  his  sermons, 
which,  while  doctrinal  in  structure,  were  evan- 
gelical in  spirit.  "His  oratory  and  magnetism, 
coupled  with  his  message,  which  he  always  felt 
to  be  from  God,  not  infrequently  like  a  hurri- 
cane swept  his  audience  before  him,  and  many, 

175 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

many  times  his  voice  was  drowned  by  the  shouts 
of  saints,  mingled  with  the  cry  of  sinners  for 
mercy." 

As  a  temperance  advocate  he  excelled.  The 
saloon-keepers  of  the  city  of  Parkersburg,  where 
he  lived  so  long,  feared  no  man  as  they  feared 
him.  His  blade,  ever  keen  and  incisive,  never 
failed  to  cut  its  way  to  the  very  vitals  of  the 
traffic.     In  1882  he  canvassed  the 

Temperance  ^^^^^^    g^^^^    ^j    ^^^^    Virginia,    Or- 

Advocate  "  -' 

ganizing  the  temperance  forces  of 
everj^  county  in  the  interest  of  constitutional 
prohibition,  and  to  his  splendid  work  may 
largely  be  attributed  the  election  of  a  legislature 
which  submitted  to  the  State  a  prohibitory 
amendment.  His  campaign  addresses  were  mas- 
terpieces of  eloquence  and  convincing  reasoning. 
Doctor  Warner  was  prominent  in  the  highest 
councils  of  the  Church  for  a  long  period  of  time. 
He  was  first  elected  to  the  General  Conference 
in  1861,  and  to  each  succeeding  session  until 
1885.  From  1858  he  was  a  trustee  of  Otterbein 
University,  and  was  by  that  institution  given 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  in  1878.  He 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  movement  whicli 
finally  changed  the  attitude  of  the  Church 
toward  secret  societies.  In  debate  he  always 
Prominent  showcd  a  tcuder,  sympathetic  side 

in  chtcrch  to  liis  uaturc.     While  tenacious  in 

his  opinions,  he  was  not  intolerant. 
He  had  an  open  respect  for  intellect,  wherever 
he  found  it,  and  a  noble  sympathy  for  men  of 
different  views  in  whose  competency  he  believed. 

176 


Z.  \Vaknei{ 


.1.  \V.  Kr  I.KER.SON 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

If  his  utterances  against  measures  which  he 
opposed  were  sometimes  severe,  the  records  will 
show  that  in  the  treatment  of  his  opponents  he 
always  manifested  a  Christian  spirit.  In  this 
he  was  an  exception. 

In  1885  Doctor  Warner  was  elected  Secretary 
of  the  Missionary  Society.  In  representing  its 
interests  upon  the  platform  he  has  never  been 
excelled.  But  he  was  most  at  home  in  the  work 
of  preaching  and  teaching,  and  in  1887  he  re- 
signed the  secretaryship  to  take  the  pastorate  of 
our  church  in  Gibbon,  Nebraska,  in  connection 
with  which  he  lectured  twice  each  week,  once  on 
theology  and  once  on  parliamentary  law,  before 
the  faculty  and  students  of  Gibbon  Collegiate 
Institute. 

Doctor  Warner  was  a  man  of  heroic  spirit.  He 
sought  not  ease  or  earthly  reward.  "Without  re- 
serve he  gave  himself  to  the  doing  of  the  will  of 
God.  There  is  not  the  slightest  indication  that 
from  the  moment  he  began  his  itinerant  life  he 
ever  sought  his  own  ease,  or  that  he  ever  had  any 
other  thought  or  purpose  or  motive  in  life  but 
the  doing  of  the  will  of  God."  With  unfaltering 
purpose,  with  restless  zeal,  with  heroic  faith 
that  feared  no  danger  and  surmounted  every 
obstacle,  he  gave  himself  to  the  work  of  laying 
the  foundation  of  the  Church  in 
Heroc  Spirit  the  mouutaius  of  West  Virginia. 
Truly  he  counted  not  his  life  dear 
unto  him  that  he  might  win  souls  to  Christ.  His 
heroic  work  and  its  results  have  enriched  and 
stimulated  the  zeal  of  thousands.  From  the  small 

177 


Our  Heroes,  or 

beginning  of  1858  a  great  conference  of  fifteen 
thousand  members  has  resulted,  and  from  it  men 
have  gone  out  into  every  section  of  the  Church 
to  preach  the  gospel.  No  inducements  from  a 
material  point  of  view  could  affect  his  loyalty  to 
the  Church  or  his  devotion  to  his  life  purposes. 

It  was  on  the  evening  of  January  24,  1888,  in 
Gibbon,  Nebraska,  that  he  entered  upon  his  re- 
ward in  heaven.  Within  the  suburbs  of  the 
Golden  City  he  dictated  a  little  letter  to  his 
wife,  fearing  she  could  not  reach  him  from  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  before  his  departure.  About  this  time 
he  said  to  the  editor  of  the  Telescope  by  tele- 
gram: ^^My  soul  is  wonderfully  filled  with  the 
peace  of  God."  His  body  sleeps  in  a  beautiful 
cemetery  at  Parkersburg,  West  Virginia,  having 
been  removed  to  that  place  several  years  after 
his  death. 

Among  those  who  shared  with  Doctor  Warner 
in  the  struggles,  privations,  and  triumphs  of 
planting  the  Church  in  the  mountains  of  West 
Virginia,  and  who  deserve  a  place  in  the  same 
list  of  heroes  are,  J.  Bachtel,  G.  W.  Statton,  B. 
Stickley,  J.  W.  Penry,  J.  W.  Miles,  S.  J.  Gra- 
ham, Dr.  J.  L.  Hensley,  and  E.  Harper. 


178 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 


LESSON  IV. 

Chapter  XIII. 

1.  What  can  you  say  of  the  ancestry  of  John  Collins  Bright? 

2.  Give  date  of  his  birth,  and  brief  review  of  his  early  life. 

3.  When  was  he  converted?     Under  whose  ministry? 

4.  What    new    epoch    does    1841    mark    in    the    history    of   the 
United  Brethren  Church? 

5.  When   was   the   Missionary   Society  of  the   Church  founded, 
and  by  whom? 

6.  Who  was  the  first  Missionary  Secretary  of  the  Church? 

7.  What  can  you  say  of  the  character  of  Mr.  Bright's  work? 

8.  What  of  the  results  of  his  work? 

9.  What  occurred  at  the  close  of  his  first  term  as  Secretary? 

10.  In   what   other   advance   movements  of  the   Church  was  he 
a  pioneer? 

11.  To   what    pastorate   was   he   appointed   in    1865,    and   what 
were  the  results? 

12.  What  is  your   estimate  of  the  service  Mr.  Bright   rendered 
the  Church  as  a  constructive  builder? 


Chapter  XIV. 

1.  When  and  where  was  Jacob  Bruner  Resler  born? 

2.  In  what  important  period  of  the  Church  did  he  enter  the 
ministry? 

3.  Give    brief    statement    of    his    early    itinerant    work    in    the 
mountains  of  Pennsylvania. 

4.  What  were  some  of  his  leading  characteristics? 

5.  What  can  you  say  of  him  as  an  evangelist? 

6.  What  can  you  say  of  him  as  a  leader  of  men? 

7.  How  are  the  "camp-meetings"  of  those  times  characterized? 

8.  What    place   did   Mi'.    Resler   occupy    in  the   pioneer  educa- 
tional work  of  the  Church  ? 

9.  Give  incidents  connected  with  his  work  as  a  college  agent. 

10.  What  was  the  result  of  his  visits  as  agent  in  the  homes  of 
the  people?     Give  illustration. 

11.  What  is  said  of  his  interest  in  young  people? 

12.  What   tribute   was   paid   him   by   his   pastor   at   his   funeral 

service  ? 

179 


Our  Heroes,  or 


Chapter  XV. 

1.  When  and  where  was  Walton  Clayborne  Smith  born? 

2.  What  is  said  of  the  natural  and  religious  surroundings  of 
his  childhood? 

3.  From    whom   did   he   receive   his   earliest    religious    impres- 
sions? 

4.  When  was  he  converted,  and  what  were  some  of  his  strug- 
gles before  entering  the  ministry? 

5.  When  did   he  join  the  Wabash  Conference,   and   what  was 
the  first  circuit  assigned  him? 

6.  Give  brief  statement  of  his  home  leaving,   and  incident  of 
encouragement  at  his  second  quarterly  meeting. 

7.  What  were  some  of  his  trials  and  triumphs  the  following 
year,  on  Westfield  Circuit,  Illinois? 

8.  What   example   of   self-sacrificing  heroism   does   he   give   at 
the  conference  of  1853? 

9.  What  incident  occurred  in  1854,  in  which  the  late  Bishop 
Joyce  was  a  participant? 

10.  Give  brief  statement  of  his  heroic  work  as  presiding  elder 
in  1857. 

11.  What  relation  did  he  sustain  to  Westfield  College? 

12.  What  incident  occurred  on  his  way  to  conference  as  treas- 
urer illustrating  his  trust  in  God? 

13.  What  were  his  leading  characteristics? 

14.  When    and    where    did    he    die?      Who    were    some    of    his 
colaborers  ? 

Chapter  XVI. 

1.  What  can  be  said  of  the  birthplace  and  early  training  of 
great  spiritual  captains? 

2.  When  and  where  was  Zebedee  Warner  born? 

3.  What  were  his  educational  advantages? 

4.  What  is  said  of  him  as  a  student? 

5.  When  did  Doctor  Warner  enter  the  ministry? 

6.  When  was  Parkersburg  Conference  organized? 

7.  What   relation   does   Doctor   Warner  sustain   to   its   organi- 
zation and  growth? 

8.  Describe    his    first    circuit    under    the    appointment    of    the 
conference. 

9.  What    severe    trial    came   to    his    home    while    serving    this 
charge  ? 

10.  What  does  he  say  of  their  struggles  with  poverty? 

11.  What  is  said  of  his  influence  as  a  leader? 

12.  What  Is  said  of  his  ability  as  a  preacher? 

13.  Name  some  of  his  chief  characteristics? 

14.  Where  and  when  did  be  die? 


180 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

Our  Heroes  in  Iowa. 

With  the  expanding  life  of  the  Church,  and 
the  westward  flow  of  emigTation,  our  people 
crossed  the  "Father  of  Waters"  into  Iowa  early 
in  the  thirties,  in  search  of  homes  for  themselves 
and  children.  The  territory  was  only  sparsely 
settled.  The  people  of  the  East  at  that  time 
had  but  little  conception  of  its  vast  possibilities 
when  once  redeemed  from  savage  sway  and  made 
to  feel  the  life-inspiring  touch  of  a  Christian 
civilization.  Indeed,  some  of  the  most  astute 
statesmen  of  the  East  could  see  nothing  in  the 
far  West  to  invite  home  seekers,  or  that  could 
contribute  to  the  wealth  and  greatness  of  the 
nation. 

A  Connecticut  representative  in  Congress 
failed  to  see  the  utility  of  "the  Louisiana  Pur- 
chase," which  gave  to  the  United  States  the 
greater  part  of  the  Mississippi  Val- 
How  others  j  ^^^  dcclarcd  that  at  no  distant 
day  it  would  cause  the  "subversion 
of  the  Union."  A  New  Hampshire  Senator  saw 
in  the  West  a  great  menace  to  the  eastern  States, 
and  expressed  the  fear  that  the  incorporation  of 
such  a  vast  territory  Avould,  in  the  end,  compel 
the  eastern  States  to  establish  an  "independent 

181 


Our  Heroes,  or 

empire.'^  A  Virginia  politician  prophesied  that 
this  Eden  of  the  New  World  would  prove  a  cem- 
etery for  the  bodies  of  our  citizens.  Still  an- 
other high  official  declared  that  the  acquired 
territory  would  be  the  greatest  curse  that  could 
befall  us.  But  how  little  did  they  know  about 
the  wonderful  resources  of  the  vast  domain  lying 
between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Rockies.  They 
were  false  seers,  as  the  developments  of  the  last 
half  century  have  abundantly  demonstrated. 

In  all  this  immense  stretch  of  country  no  sec- 
tion is  richer  than  Iowa,  and  the  people  of  Illi- 
nois, and  other  nearby   States,  were   quick  to 
see  that  its  almost  endless  prairies. 

Greatness  of  «    .  -,    ,  •%    ,t  i  •      t 

Iowa  fringed  here  and  there  by  winding 

streams  and  little  woodlands,  with 
a  soil  too  fertile  and  enduring  to  ever  be  ex- 
hausted, were  intended  by  the  All-wise  Creator 
to  be  more  than  a  roaming  place  for  uncivilized 
tribes  and  buffalo  herds. 

JOHN  BURNS 

Joseph  B.  Clark,  D.D.,  in  his  admirable  book 
entitled,  "Leavening  the  Nation,''  gives  Rev. 
Burton  G.  Cartwright,  a  Methodist  ministefr, 
the  honor  of  establishing  the  first  class  in 
Iowa,  in  1835,  near  the  present  site  of  Burling- 
ton. Following  this,  a  Baptist  church  was 
organized  at  Danville,  and  another  Methodist 
class  at  Dubuque. 

About  this  period  John  Burns,  a  local 
preacher  in  the  United  Brethren  Church,  began 
to  make  and  fill  appointments  in  Lee  County, 

182 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

wliere  lie  prepared  the  way  for  tliose  who  were 
afterwards  sent  to  that  field,  and  where  he  like- 
our  First  ^'^^^  prepared  the  soil  for  the  seed- 

preacher  in  sowlng  that  was  to  follow.  The 
name  of  this  unpretentious  servant 
of  the  Church  is  frequently  mentioned  by  others 
in  later  rears,  but  we  have  no  record  of  his 
achievements;  suffice  it  to  say  that  he  was  one 
of  God's  faithful  heralds,  and  was  the  first  to 
lift  the  banners  of  his  Church  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. But  heaven  has  a  record  of  all  he  did 
and  said,  and  has  long  since  rewarded  him  for 
his  toil  in  the  lonely  field  to  which  an  unerring 
Providence  directed  him. 

Christian  Troup,  of  Wabash  Conference,  fol- 
lowed in  1837,  and  became  prominent  as  a  pas- 
tor and  presiding  elder. 

A.    A.    SELLERS 

Possibly  no  one  among  the  early  missionaries 
in  Iowa  endured  more  hardships  and  made 
greater  sacrifices  to  build  up  the  Church  than 
did  A.  A.  Sellers.  His  life  and  labors  were 
so  thoroughly  Avoven  into  the  early  history  of 
the  conference,  which  was  organized  shortly 
after  his  appearance  upon  the  field,  that  no 
record  of  it  would  be  complete  if  his  name  were 
omitted. 

He  was  born  in  Rockingham  County,  Vir- 
ginia, February  20,  1808.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  he  was  converted  at  a  camp-meeting  in 
Harrison  County,  Indiana,  and  joined  the  United 
Brethren  Church.     This  last  step  was,  no  doubt, 

183 


Our  Heroes^  or 

an  easy  one,  as  he  had  been  re-ared  in  the  midst 
of  the  Church,  and  was  familiar  with  its  spirit, 
and  simple,  yet  beautiful  forms  of  worship.  At 
this  camp-meeting  he  preached  his  first  sermon. 
Six  years  later  he  moved  to  Illinois  and  became 
a  member  of  the  Wabash  Conference,  where  he 
preached  as  opportunity  was  afforded  until 
April,  1839,  when  he  crossed  over  to  Lee  County, 
Iowa.  Here  his  active  ministerial  life  began, 
and  the  work  of  organizing  churches  was  under- 
taken in  earnest. 

With  men  who  had  been  reared  in  the  Church, 

and  knew  the  blessedness  of  its  fellowship,  it 

was  a  very  benediction,  when  in  a  strange  land, 

to   find   United  Brethren,   and   to 

ofTelf^wship  *^^^y  ^'i*^^  *^^^  i^  tl^eii*  homes. 
The  throb  of  fellowship  is  always 
felt  more  sensibly  by  the  settlers  of  a  new  coun- 
try, when  all  are  poor  and  dependent  upon  one 
another,  than  by  those  who  have  become  rich, 
and,  in  a  sense,  independent.  Wealth  almost 
invariably  produces  selfishness  and  a  disregard 
for  the  welfare  of  others. 

In  1842  Mr.  Sellers  heard  of  a  United  Breth- 
ren preacher  in  a  distant  section  and  deter- 
mined to  find  him,  if  possible.  Accordingly,  in 
company  with  Mr.  John  Burns,  he  started  one 
morning  across  the  plains,  and  continued  his 
journey  all  day  without  a  morsel  of  food.  Not 
even  knowing  the  name  of  the  man  they  sought, 
no  little  difficulty  was  experienced  in  locating 
him;  but  fortunately  some  one  was  found  who 
gave  information  which  led  them  to  his  quarters. 

184 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

The  new  preacher  turned  out  to  be  Rev.  F.  R.  S. 
Byrd,  lately  removed  from  Ross  County,  Ohio. 
A  great  revival  had  heralded  his  name  far  and 
wide,  and  by  this  means  news  of  his  whereabouts 
had  come  to  Sellers. 

In  point  of  time  the  first  class  was  organ- 
ized by  John  Everhart,  in  Henry  County,  at 
the  liome  of  Father  Edgington,  in  1842,  but  it 
seems  that  Mr.  Byrd  was  the  first  to  have  a  class 
incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  Territory. 
Both  organizations,  however,  were 
First  Class         effcctcd    iu    the    month    of    April. 

Organized 

The  court  records  show  that  the 
last-named  class,  when  incorporated,  contained 
seven  names:  F.  R.  S.  Byrd,  John  Kephart, 
Robert  Henthorn,  Joel  Shively,  John  Wyatt, 
Solomon  Bales,  and  Irwin  Standard.  This  is 
certified  to  by  John  P.  Grantham,  Recorder  of 
Henry  County. 

Mr.  Sellers  tells  us  that  one  time,  when  absent 
from  home  in  Cedar  County,  a  furious  snow- 
storm prevailed  for  two  or  three  days.  Fearing 
that  his  family  were  suffering,  he  decided  to  go  to 
them,  no  matter  what  the  cost.  His  route  lay 
across  two  trackless  prairies.     In  some  places 

his  horse  pushed  the  drifted  snow 

A  Great  Snow  ^,|^|j  J^jg  brca.St.  Uuder  SUCh  con- 
storm 

ditions  the  faithful  animal  could 
make  but  little  headway  and  had  to  be  rested 
frequently — sometimes  a  whole  day.  Finally, 
after  an  awful  struggle,  lasting  sixteen  days,  he 
reached  home.  His  good  wife  met  him  with 
tears  of  joy.     Her  sufferings  had  been  almost 

185 


Our  Heroes,  or 

as  great  as  his.  She  had  been  compelled  to  put 
on  his  clothing  and  wade  in  the  snow  to  her  arm- 
pits to  secure  fuel  and  to  keep  the  little  live 
stock  they  owned  from  perishing.  That  a  preach- 
er's wife  ever  had  to  suffer  thus  for  the  sake  of 
the  Church  may  be  an  interesting  revelation  to 
many,  but  it  is  so;  and  more,  the  greatest  pri- 
vation and  heartaches  endured  by  them  are  not 
recorded  yet  on  any  militant  page,  but  alone  in 
God's  book.  To  him  only  the  secret  of  their 
sufferings  is  known. 

When  a  presiding  elder,  in  1850,  Mr.  Sellers 
had  to  travel  nine  hundred  miles  in  making  a 
single  round  on  his  district.  During  the  long 
trips  and  periods  of  absence  from  home  he  more 
than  once  jeopardized  life  itself  in 
In  a  Swollen       order   to    keep    his    appointments. 

stream  .,«-.,., 

On  one  occasion  he  forced  his  horse 
into  a  swollen  stream,  not  knowing  its  depth,  or 
the  danger  in  trying  to  ford  it.  The  animal  be- 
came frightened  and  began  to  rear  and  plunge. 
At  last  the  saddle-girth  broke  and  the  rider,  with 
all  he  carried,  went  off  into  the  water.  He  fin- 
ally reached  the  shore,  he  scarcely  knew  how, 
but  never  recovered  his  saddle. 

Once  in  a  while  he  was  compelled  to  lay  off  a 
year  or  two  for  the  purpose  of  paying  his  debts, 
and  of  getting  something  ahead  for 
Meagrer  ]j|g  family;   but  during  these  pe- 

riods he  ceased  not  to  preach.  His 
Sabbaths  were  spent  in  filling  appointments  in 
his  own  and  adjoining  neighborhoods.  Up  to  1857 
he  had  received,  all  told,  for  all  the  years  of  his 

186 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

service,  only  |523.3T.  Brave  soul !  He  knew 
well  the  converging  points  of  service  and  suffer- 
ing, for  he  had  lived  there  during  his  entire 
ministerial  life,  and  rejoiced  in  the  privilege  of 
sharing  with  his  Lord,  at  so  great  a  cost,  the 
work  of  redeeming  men. 

In  his  last  davs  he  wrote:  ^'And  now  my  sun 
is  fast  declining.  The  shadows  are  lengthening, 
and  I  am  far  down  the  western  slope;  but  my 
faith  is  strong,  my  hope  is  firm,  and  my  prospects 
are  bright ;  and  when  my  work  on  earth  is  done, 
I  hope  to  be  able  to  say,  as  did  the  sainted  Mark- 
wood,  'The  Lord  has  no  more  for  me  to  do.' '' 

JOHN  EVERHART 

This  man  of  God  was  sent  to  Iowa  by  the 
Wabash  Conference  in  August,  184:1.  Though  a 
missionary,  he  had  no  appropriation  behind  him 
to  make  sure  his  living,  hence  was  left  to  grapple 
as  best  he  could  with  the  financial  situation  in- 
volved in  his  self  surrender  to  the  will  and  w^ork 
of  his  Church.  Like  others  of  his  colaborers 
he  found  it  necessary  to  turn  aside  occasionally 
to  secular  business  to  prevent  the  wolf  coming 
too  near  his  door;  but,  as  soon  as  the  necessary 
provisions  were  made  for  his  family,  he  was  out 
and  in  the  work  again. 

His  travels  extended  over  nearly  all  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  State,  and  great  revivals  were 
promoted  through  his  almost  ceaseless  labors. 
During  these  itineraries  he  crossed  over  into 
northern  Missouri,  and  preached  at  various 
places  as  his  time  and  strength  permitted.     In 

187 


Our  Heroes^  or 

1851  he  organized  the  first  United  Brethren  class 
in  the  State  in  Clark  County.  Later  he  was 
sent  to  do  missionary  work  in  northern  Iowa, 
but  found  the  people  in  a  state  of  fear  and 
unrest.  In  1857  the  settlements  near  Spirit 
Lake  had  been  raided  by  a  hostile 
oulbr"ak  Indian  tribe  and  forty  of  the  citi- 

zens mercilessly  slain.  This  cre- 
ated a  condition  which  made  permanent  church 
work  next  to  impossible,  and  it  was  quite  a 
while  before  feelings  of  security  were  fully  re- 
stored. But  who  was  better  prepared  than  Mr. 
Everhart  to  grapple  with  such  a  situation?  His 
faith  and  courage  and  indomitable  will  always 
made  him  master  of  the  situation,  no  matter 
what  his  environments  might  be.  What  a  pity 
that  so  little  of  his  history  has  been  preserved! 
He  was  known  to  travel  in  storm  and  snow  un- 
til his  feet  and  hands  and  face  were  frozen.  At 
other  times  he  would  swim  turbulent  streams  at 
the  risk  of  life ;  or,  if  a  ferry-boat  was  accessible, 
he  would  pay  out  all  his  money  to  get  over. 
Once  he  pawned  his  Bible  to  the  ferryman  in 
order  to  reach  his  appointments  on  time,  hoping 
that  he  might  be  able  on  his  return  to  redeem 
the  dear  old  Book  which  was  as  sacred  to  him 
as  life  itself.  Frequently,  when  too 
Hardships  fg^j,  ^wav  froui  humau  habitation 

Kndnred  '^ 

to  find  shelter,  he  would  camp  out 
where  darkness  overtook  him  on  the  plains,  with 
naught  but  the  skies  for  a  covering,  and  the 
howling  of  wolves  to  break  the  monotonv  of 
silence.     Is  it  any  wonder  that  his   end   was 

188 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

peaceful  and  triiimpbaut?  Having  done  his 
duty  as  a  gospel  herald,  and  in  everj  other  rela- 
tion of  life,  he  could  say,  when  the  parting  hour 
came,  ^^Tell  my  brethren  that  I  die  without  a 
single  cloud." 

He  was  a  pulpiteer  of  marvelous  power,  and, 

like  a  dashing  general,   ofttimes  captured  the 

multitude  at  a  single  effort.   Mr.  Sellers,  who  was 

privileged  to  hear  him  at  a  quar- 

A  Great  tcrlv  mcetius:,  says :  ''I  shall  never 

Sermon  J  fe?         J 

forget  the  first  time  I  heard  him 
preach.  It  seemed  as  though  the  very  dews  of 
heaven  were  falling  upon  every  heart  in  the 
congregation.  Brother  Christian  Troup  sprang 
to  his  feet,  clasped  the  preacher  in  his  arms,  and 
shouted,  ^Glory.' " 

The  elements  of  fellowship  meant  so  much 
to  the  fathers  that  they  frequently  made  long 
journeys  for  the  purpose  of  meeting  each  other, 
and  of  spending  a  short  season  together  in  pray- 
er and  praise.  At  one  of  the  first  quarterly 
meetings  held  in  Henry  County,  all  the  minis- 
ters and  other  officials  known  in  the  State  were 
present — seven  preachers,  three  exhorters,  two 
class-leaders,  and  seven  incorpor- 
A  Noted  2iiQA  trustees.     The  great   gather- 

ing was  held  at  the  residence  of 
Joel  Shively,  which  was  known  far  and  wide  as 
the  stopping-place  of  church  people.  Since  the 
most  of  the  visitors  on  this  particular  occasion 
tarried  in  the  Shively  home,  it  does  not  require 
a  very  great  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  picture 
the  meeting  as  one  of  blessed  communion  and  in- 

189 


Our  Heroes,  or 

spiration.  We  can  almost  hear  their  earnest  con- 
versation as  they  discussed  the  good  times  they 
had  enjoyed  in  other  places  where  they  had  lived 
and. wrought,  and  as  they  hopefully  plan  for  the 
work  in  their  new  country. 

PLACE  OF  FIRST  CONFERENCE. 

The  first  regular  session  of  the  Iowa  Confer- 
ence was  held  in  Columbus  City,  by  Bishop  Hen- 
ry Kumler,  Jr.,  May  19,  1844.  The  charter  mem- 
bers" were:  J.  Durham,  J.  Everhart,  J.  Burns, 

C.  Troup,  D.  Shaffer,  A.  A.  Sellers,  I.  B.  Kyan, 

D.  C.  Barrow,  M.  Garrison,  and  G.  S.  dinger. 
The    introduction    of    the    United    Brethren 

Church  into  this  town  a  year  or  two  before 
occurred  under  rather  novel,  if  not  amusing 
circumstances.  Mr.  F.  K.  S.  Byrd,  referred  to 
elsewhere  in  this  chapter,  visited  the  place  with 
the  thought  of  establishing  an  appointment,  but 
the  people  treated  him  with  such  indifference 
as  to  make  him  feel  that  he  was  not  wanted. 
They  seemed  to  regard  him  as  an  intruder,  and 
so  did  not  show  him  that  courtesy 
Making  an         usuallv  accordcd  to  ministers.    But 

Appointment  *^ 

the  plucky  little  fellow  was  not  to 
be  discouraged.  He  had  gone  there  to  preach, 
and  proposed  to  test  the  field  before  leaving  it. 
Accordingly,  he  wrote  and  posted  at  the  hotel 
this  notice :  ^'F.  R.  S.  Byrd,  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren Church,  expects  to  preach  in  Columbus  City 
this  evening  at  candle-lighting.  If  a  door  is 
opened,  all  right;  if  not,  then  to  the  largest 
crowd  he  may  find  on  the  street."     A  Mr.  Dun- 

190 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

ham  saw  the  quaiut  announcement,  and  invited 
him  to  preach  in  his  house.  At  the  appointed 
hour  the  people  came,  the  services  were  held, 
and  the  way  opened  for  the  organization  of  a 
class. 

Mr.  Byrd  moved  in  later  years  to  western 
Iowa,  and  finally  into  the  territory  now  occupied 
by  the  Northwest  Kansas  Conference,  where  he 
became  a  charter  member  of  that  body,  and 
where,  in  May,  1879,  he  "yielded  up  the  ghost, 
and  was  gathered  unto  his  people." 


191 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Our  Heroes  in  Iowa — Continued. 

In  1855,  D.  M.  Harvey  first  became  ac- 
quainted with  the  United  Brethren  Church 
through  the  pioneers  who  preached  in  northeast 
Iowa.  He  vividly  recalls  the  hardships  they 
underwent  in  connection  with  their  work.  He 
tells  of  W.  H.  Richardson,  a  presiding 
elder,  who  died  of  exposure  while  traveling  a 
district.       Another,     Israel     Shaffer,     was     a 

great  revivalist,  but  died  prema- 
Death**"*  turely  as  the  result  of  overwork. 

After  preaching  one  morning  this 
brother  went  to  the  home  of  one  of  his  members 
and  told  him  he  had  come  to  die.  Three  hours 
later  he  was  in  heaven. 

After  itinerating  a  few  years  in  northeastern 
Iowa,  Mr.  Harvey  was  transferred  to  what  was 
then  considered  the  frontier — Butler  and  Frank- 
lin counties.  This  was  in  the  early  seventies. 
The  winter  which  followed  was  long  and  severe. 
Many  of  the  newcomers  were  greatly  distressed 
for  want  of  food  and  fuel.  It  is  easy  to  imagine 
how  the  preacher  fared  under  such  circum- 
stances. While  Harvey  endured  his  full  share 
of  suffering,  his  cup  of  joy,  nevertheless,  was 
full  to  overflowing.     Supreme  faith  in  the  power 

192 


W.  A.  CAKDWELL 
The  First  Missionary  to  Kansas,  Sknt  by  the  Boakd  in  1S.">5 


►J 

p 

< 

IH 

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0 

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BC 

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a: 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

of  grace  to  keep  and  guide  ahvays  brings  peace 
and  rest  of  heart,  no  matter  how  greiit  the  toil 
and  sacrifice  required. 

One  day  while  returning  home  from  an  ap- 
pointment, in  company  with  his  wife  and  babe, 
he  was  suddenly  overtaken  by  the  most  furious 
blizzard  he  had  ever  witnessed.  The 
Caught  in  a       suow  was  alrcadv  three  feet  deep. 

Blizzard  ^  ^ 

In  a  few  minutes  after  the  storm 
struck  them  every  vestige  of  the  broken  path 
seemed  to  disappear.  They  were  eight  miles  from 
the  parsonage,  the  most  of  the  distance  being 
across  an  unsheltered  prairie.  In  addition  to  the 
falling  snow,  the  gale  gathered  up  that  which  had 
already  fallen  and  hurled  it  into  their  faces. 
He  says,  in  describing  the  event:  "A  team  just 
behind  us  wandered  from  the  road  and  went 
with  the  storm  until  they  found  a  pile  of  straw 
into  vrhich  the  driver  crawled,  and  thus  saved 
his  life.  Placing  Mrs.  Harvey  and  the  baby  in 
the  bottom  of  the  sleigh,  and  covering  them  com- 
pletely with  a  quilt  and  buffalo-robe,  I  tried  to 
guide  the  horses.  If  ever  I  strained  my  eyes 
for  two  hours,  I  did  it  then.  Providentially, 
we  kept  in  the  right  direction,  and  reached  home 
in  safety.  When  gathered  about  our  humble 
fireside  we  sang  praises  to  God  for  his  abound- 
ing mercies." 

On  account  of  the  freezing  weather  and  the  re- 
currence of  storms,  it  was  difiicult  to  hold  reviv- 
als; and  with  no  such  meetings,  and  the  people, 
generally  pinched  by  poverty,  the  missionary's 
family  was  reduced  to  almost  absolute  want.  Let 

193 


Our  Heroes,  or 

him  tell  it:  ^^IJpon  returning  home  from  a  meet- 
ing I  was  trying  to  hold,  to  see  how  things  were 
going,  my  wife  met  me  at  the  door  with  a  look 
which  betokened  discouragement. 
Family  In  Wheu  I  askcd  to  know  what  the 

Want 

trouble  was,  she  burst  into  tears, 
and  said:  ^We've  been  living  on  short  rations 
now  for  three  days,  and  the  last  mouthful  of 
provision  is  gone.  We  haven't  a  bite  for  dinner.' 
After  putting  my  team  away,  I  knelt  in  the  barn 
all  alone  with  my  Heavenly  Father  and  laid  the 
case  before  him.  When  I  arose  I  felt  sure  he 
would  come  to  our  relief  in  this  extremity,  but 
I  did  not  know  how.  Before  the  dinner  hour 
came,  however,  a  man  from  a  distant  neighbor- 
hood drove  up  with  some  flour,  po- 
Reiief  Came  tatocs,  meat,  and  enough  money  to 
buy  us  a  small  supply  of  groceries. 
He  also  most  earnestly  requested  that  I  come 
over  and  preach  for  them.  So  the  promise  was 
fulfilled — Trust  in  the  Lord  and  do  good,  so 
Shalt  thou  dwell  in  the  land,  and  verily  thou 
Shalt  be  fed.' " 

Mrs.  Harvey  tells  how^  the  pangs  of  hunger  were 
felt  by  her  little  children  once  in  the  absence 
of  their  father.  And  the  fact  that  she  could  not 
help  them  made  her  very  heart  bleed.  For  two 
weeks  they  provided  their  bread  by  grating  corn 
on  a  piece  of  tin  punched  full  of 
A  Touching        holes.    This  was  a  slow  process  of 

Scene  ^ 

obtaining  meal,  but  there  seemed 
to  be  no  other  way.  One  day  a  little  darling, 
who  had  heard  so  much  in  the  home  about  God's 

194 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

love  and  mercies,  came  to  her  mother  and  said, 
"Mamma,  is  the  Lord  going  to  let  us  starve 
to  death  and  papa  away?"  The  touching  ap- 
peal Avas  more  than  the  mother  could  stand. 
Hearing  that  a  certain  neighbor  was  to  butcher 
that  day,  she  went  over  to  buy  some  meat,  but 
was  sternly  turned  away  because  she  had  no 
money.  Then  it  was  that  she  sought  out  the 
secret  place,  and  looked  up  through  tear-dimmed 
eyes  to  Heaven  for  help.  It  was  a  period  of 
keenest  struggle  between  poverty  and  fear  on 
one  hand,  and  prayer  and  faith  on  the  other; 
but  faith  triumphed.  The  following  day  a  young 
man,  who  had  been  converted  a  short  time  be- 
fore, was  impressed  while  dressing  meat  that  he 
ought  to  give  the  preacher's  family  some,  and  so 
brought  them  enough  to  supply  their  needs  for 
quite  a  while. 

Some  may  question  the  correctness  of  these 
statements,  or  at  least  the  propriety  of  publish- 
ing them;  but  upon  what  grounds?  Does  not 
God  hear  and  answer  prayer?  and  is  not  the 
promise  to  the  poor  who  lack  bread?  Others 
may  quibble  if  they  Avill,  or  reason  as  they  please; 
we  believe  the  meat  was  sent  in  answer  to  the 
good  woman's  prayer. 

The  South  Dakota  Mission  Conference  was 
organized  in  1871.  Mr.  Harvey  became  a  mem- 
ber of  it  four  years  afterward,  and 
A  New  Field  Settled  in  Cherokee  County,  north- 
western Iowa,  which  constituted  a 
part  of  the  conference  territory.  The  field  he 
was  asked  to  serve  did  not  contain  a  single  or- 

195 


Our  Heroes,  or 

ganized  class.  He  was  simply  turned  loose  with 
the  charge  that  he  should  plant  and  build  up 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  which  he  did. 
Times  were  unusually  stringent.  The  grasshop- 
per raid  had  spread  desolation  throughout  that 
region.  Poverty,  like  a  gaunt  specter,  stared 
the  people  in  the  face  until  many,  overcome  by 
fear,  left  their  claims  and  returned  to  the  East. 
But  amid  it  all  Mr.  Harvey  remained  at  his  post. 
His  financial  remuneration  that  year  was  |50.00 
from  the  people,  and  |40.00  from  the  Parent 
Board. 

Of  his  work  in  after  years,  when  a  presiding 
elder,  Mr.  Harvey  has  this  to  say :  "As  I  traveled 
the  district  through  those  years,  and  witnessed 
the  sufferings  of  the  preachers  for  want  of  food 
and  comfortable  homes,  I  wondered  again  and 
again  how  they  could  endure  so  much  without 
a  word  of  complaint."  But  with  their  suffer- 
ings came  great  victories.  A  missionary  wrote 
the  General  Secretary  as  follows: 
A  Shout  of  "After  almost  four  months  of  un- 
ceasing  labor  m  revival  work  m 
South  Dakota,  fighting  the  powers  of  darkness 
day  and  night  on  every  side  amid  blizzards  and 
freezing  winds,  we  have  seen  over  one  hundred 
souls  come  up  out  of  the  cleansing  fountain 
washed  with  the  blood  of  the  Lamb." 

We  cannot  resist  the  conviction  that  the 
church  of  God  to-day  would  be  leagues  beyond 
where  it  is  if  its  divinely-appointed  representa- 
tives thought  and  talked  less  about  salary  and 
more,  about    winning    sinners.     Since    revivals 

196 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

seldom  fail  to  call  out  the  best  the  people  have, 
the  matter  of  first  importance  then  is  to  have 
revivals.  Where  a  mission  is  unable  to  at  least 
comfortably  support  its  j^astor,  the  general 
Church  is  duty  bound  to  give  aid.  In  no  other 
way  can  a  symmetrical  denominational  life  be 
develoi^ed  and  sustained. 

The  boundaries  of  this  conference  in  later 
years  have  been  so  changed  from  time  to  time 
that  at  present  it  is  known  as  North  Nebraska. 
Though  the  membership  is  small,  and  limited  in 
financial  resources,  it  is,  nevertheless,  under  a 
wise  leadership,  making  a  most  commendable 
record  in  service  and  growth. 

ABNER  CORBIN 

Among  those  who  wrought  mightily  in  estab- 
lishing United  Brethrenism  in  Iowa  was 
Abner  Corbin.  He  was  born  in  Hampshire 
County,  Virginia,  September  23,  1823.  When 
twenty-one  he  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Iowa,  and  soon  thereafter  was  converted,  joined 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  was  licensed 
to  preach.  He  took  up  the  regular  work  of  a 
missionary  about  1848,  and  thenceforth  was  one 
of  the  most  active  and  efficient  among  the  pio- 
neers. 

His  labors  extended  westward  in  the  State 

as  far  as  Port  Des  Moines  and  were  of  the  most 

strenuous   character.      He  kept  a 

pnshea  brief  diary  for  the  first  two  or  three 

Westward  „  /.  .     .    ,  ,  .    ,        i 

years  of  his  ministry,  which  shows 
that   his   going   and   preaching   were   constant. 

197 


Our  Heroes,  or 

A  page  or  two  from  his  jottings  will  tell  the 
story  of  his  work  during  his  second  year,  and 
give  the  reader  a  glimpse  of  what  circuit-riding 
in  Iowa  meant  in  those  early  days. 

"Saturday,  October  14.  This  is  our  first  quar- 
terly meeting.  Brother  Byrd  and  several  others 
came  in  Brother  Stipp's  wagon.  Brother  Byrd 
presided  in  the  absence  of  the  elder.  I  preached 
at  night  from  Psalms  20 : 5,  called  for  mourners 
and  eight  came  to  the  altar.  The  ark  of  God 
moved  forward  and  seven  were  converted.  We 
had  a  joyful  time  in  the  Lord.  Four  joined  the 
Church. 

"Sunday,  15.  We  had  a  speaking  meeting, 
and  Brother  Byrd  preached  at  eleven  o'clock  and 
lifted  a  collection,  but  it  w^as  small.  After  this 
I  opened  the  doors  of  the  church,  and  two  joined. 
We  had  a  time  of  rejoicing.  At  night  I  tried  to 
preach.  When  the  people  began  to  shout  I 
called  for  mourners  and  several 
preackes  Came  out.     Three  w^ere  saved  and 

Dally 

one  joined  the  Church.  God's 
power  was  manifested  in  a  wonderful  manner. 
I  preached  again  on  Monday  night  and  we  had  a 
good  time. 

"On  Tuesday  I  w^ent  to  Brother  John  Baily's 
and  preached  to  about  fifteen  persons.  Next  day 
I  traveled  through  the  rain  about  twenty  miles 
to  Brother  Davis'  w^here  I  had  an  appointment 
at  four  p.m.  Thursday  I  rode  to  Brother  Jacob 
Bonebrake's  where  I  preached  with  good  liberty. 
Friday  I  preached  at  the  home  of  Brotlier  Pear- 
cey.     Saturday  held  meeting  at  Stipp's  at  eleven 

198 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

o'clock  and  at  Father  DeMoss'  at  night.  Had 
good  liberty.     One  joined  the  Church. 

"Sunday  preached  at  Father  Helm's  on  White 
Breast.  Monday  at  four  p.m.  at  Knoxville.  Had 
good  liberty.  One  joined  the  Church.  At  night 
we  had  prayer-meeting  and  the  Lord  was  with 
us.  Two  joined  the  Church.  The 
Swims  River  ucxt  day,  Tucsday,  I  preached  at 
Brother  Jiles'  at  three  p.m.,  after 
swimming  my  beast  across  the  South  Three 
River,  and  crossing  over  myself  on  a  few  logs 
tied  together.     I  preached  again  that  night. 

"Wednesday,  25.  Preached  at  Coppock's  after 
swimming  my  horse  across  the  Middle  and  Upper 
rivers,  and,  though  I  was  late,  the  Lord  was 
with  us,  and  that  to  bless." 

So  the  man  of  God  continued.  These  extracts 
merely  give  an  example  of  what  he  did  week  by 
week  during  the  early  years  of  his  frontier 
work.  His  consecration  was  thorough.  Every 
few  pages  in  his  diary  we  find  recorded  a  prayer 
for  divine  guidance  and  help  in  winning  sinners 
to  the  Cross.  The  fact  that  at  every  service  he 
opened  the  doors  of  the  Church,  and  was  con- 
stantly receiving  members,  indicates  an  unques- 
tionable loyalty  to  his  Church  for  which  he  was 
sacrificing  so  much. 

His   reference  to   his   marriage   is  somewhat 

amusing,  but  indicates  that  his  mind  was  on  his 

work    rather    than    on    his    wife. 

Marries  "Lcaviug  Brighton  I  traveled  into 

Marion  County,  and  on  the  tenth 

of  April,  1850, 1  was  married  to  Lucinda  DeMoss. 

199 


Our  Heroes,  or 

The  next  day  I  started  for  my  mission  again, 
and  reached  it  about  the  twentieth/'  It  is  to  be 
presumed  that  the  new  wife  accompanied  him, 
and  thereafter  shared,  in  a  cheerful  spirit,  the 
labors  and  hardships  of  her  husband.  The  fact 
that  she  was  a  DeMoss  is  a  guarantee  that  she 
was  a  typical  United  Brethren  and  deeply  re- 
ligious. 

Once  in  a  while  the  clouds  gathered  about  Mr. 
Corbin,  but  in  every  case  he  records  the  worth 
of  prayer.  In  one  instance,  after  prayer  and 
victory,  he  breaks  forth  shouting: 

"Now,  Lord,  thy  heavenly  grace  bestow; 
My  heart  to  cheer  while  here  below; 
That  I  the  gospel  trump  may  blow, 
And  by  it  more  thy  sufferings  show." 

On  the  fly  leaf  of  his  diary  is  written  in  the 
style  of  his  day  the  following  verses  which  doubt- 
less expressed  his  conception  of  the  mission  and 
work  of  a  true  gospel  messenger : 

"Oh,  let  all  the  people  know, 
When  I  've  ceased  my  work  below. 
That  I  was  not  ashamed  to  go 
About  the  gospel  trump  to  blow. 

"Tho'  my  talents  are  but  small. 
Let  me  still  the  louder  call; 
Till  I  've  preached  the  word  to  all ; 
At  my  post  then  let  me  fall." 

This  brave  warrior  yielded  up  his  spirit  at 
Western  College,  Iowa,  in  1862,  while  yet  in  the 
prime  of  a  noble,  consecrated  manhood. 

200 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

GKORGG  MILLER 

Among  the  many  recruits  from  other  States 
who  joined  the  workers  in  Iowa,  it  is  proper  to 
mention  the  name  of  George  Miller.  He  be- 
longed to  a  family  of  preachers,  having  four 
brothers  who,  like  himself,  have  given  their  lives 
to  the  ministry  of  the  United  Brethren  Cliurch. 
Mr.  Miller  moved  from  Ohio  in  1872  and  identi- 
fied himself  with  the  Des  Moines  Conference, 
where  he  served  two  years  as  pastor,  and  as  pre- 
siding elder  ever  since. 

The  first  session  he  attended,  presided  over  by 
Bishop  J.  Dickson,  was  assembled  in  a  little 
schoolhouse,  twelve  by  fourteen  feet  in  size,  in 
Page  County.  Here  the  business  was  transacted 
and  the  religious  services  conducted.  At  this 
time  the  conference  contained  only  1,200  mem- 
bers, distributed  over  twelve  pastoral  charges. 
The  salaries  of  the  preachers  ranged  from  |50.00 
to  $150.00. 

His  first  and  only  circuit  was  Carlisle,  which 
comprised  eleven  appointments,  and  these  had 
to  be  filled  every  two  weeks.  The  year  previous 
to  his  coming  the  entire  Confer- 
First  Circuit  ence  had  paid  only  $75.00  for  mis- 
sions. Carlisle  was  assessed  $20.00 
for  this  interest,  but  Mr.  Miller  being  an  adept 
in  raising  money,  as  his  subsequent  history 
clearly  shows,  brought  up  to  the  next  session  in 
cash  for  missions,  $101.50.  When  it  was  seen 
what  he  had  done,  having  raised  more  than  all 
the  conference  beside,  some  of  his  brethren  got  up 
and  said,  "If  God  will  forgive  us,  we  will  never 

201 


Our  Heroes  J,  or 

come  up  again  with  such  reports.'^  Thereafter 
the  work  of  gathering  mission  funds  took  on 
new  life,  and  brought  to  the  treasury  largely 
increased  offerings. 

When  elected  presiding  elder  the  district  paid 
only  $350.00.  Out  of  this  pittance,  of  course, 
house  rent  and  traveling  expenses  had  to  be  met. 
In  order  to  economize  in  both  men  and  money, 
he  was  given  Des  Moines  Mission  one  year  in 
connection  with  a  small  district  of  six  charges. 
The  conference  appropriated  $50.00.  The  mis- 
sion paid  $150.00  and  the  district  $175.00.  His 
house  rent  was  $15.00  per  month.  Becoming 
painfully  conscious  of  the  situation 
Borrows  Money  coufroutiug  him,  aud  not  wishing 

to  Pay  Bills  ^  '  ^ 

to  leave  any  store  bills  unpaid  at 
the  end  of  the  year,  he  borrowed  $200.00,  at  a 
high  rate  of  interest,  to  square  up  accounts. 
When  he  found  at  conference  time  that  he  had 
$50.00  left,  he  generously  refunded  the  amount 
that  had  been  appropriated.  The  hardships  he 
endured  and  the  discouragements  encountered 
were  not  unlike  those  of  other  pioneers  who 
wrouglit  at  his  side,  or  had  preceded  him  in  this 
difficult  field. 

Among  his  early  experiences  there  is  one  es- 
pecially which  he  has  never  forgotten.     In  one 

of  his  trips  out  on  his  district  he 
Falls  From         ^^^^g  cauglit  iu  a  suow-storm  of  un- 

E]xhaustIon  ^ 

usual  severity,  and,  with  two 
others,  was  fourteen  hours  going  from  Lehigh 
charge  to  Scranton — a  distance  of  only  ten  miles. 
Much  of  the  way  they  had  to  shovel  through 

202 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

drifted  snow,witli  mercury  forty  degrees  below 
zero.  When  within  half  a  mile  of  their  objec- 
tive point  they  were  so  nearly  exhausted  that 
they  hitched  their  team  to  fence-posts,  covered 
the  animals  with  blankets,  and  endeavored  to 
walk  to  the  railroad  station.  But  the  elder  had 
no  strength  remaining.  After  reaching  the  rail- 
road track,  only  a  short  distance  away,  chilled 
and  helpless,  he  fell,  unable  to  go  any  farther 
except  as  assisted  by  his  companions.  His  face 
and  hands  were  so  severely  frozen  that  the  outer 
skin  all  pealed  off,  and  it  was  months  before  the 
effects  of  the  awful  experience  were  removed. 

At  another  time  his  life  was  imperiled  by  his 
horse  breaking  through  the  ice  as  he  was  endeav- 
oring to  cross  Grand  Eiver. 

He  described  with  much  feeling  the  privations 
endured  by  some  of  his  pastors  and  their  fam- 
ilies. In  some  instances  the  children  went  bare- 
footed all  winter,  while  their  mothers  were  too 
poorly  clad  to  attend  church.  As  there  were  no 
parsonages  then,  the  meanest  kind 
Hardships  of       ^^f  sliacks  werc  sometimes  occupied. 

Patitors  ^ 

Nothing  better  could  be  had.  Mr. 
?diller  declares  that  it  was  no  uncommon  thing 
in  winter  time  to  find,  upon  awaking  in  the  morn- 
ing, that  two  or  three  inches  of  snow  had  blown 
in  upon  the  bed  and  floor  during  the  night, 
^lany  times,  seeing  the  condition  of  the  poor 
pastor  and  his  home,  tlie  elder  might  have  been 
observed  going  about  througli  the  neighborhood 
from  house  to  liouse  gatliering  food  for  them, 
and  money  with  wliich  to  purchase  clothing. 

203 


Our  Heroes,  or 

At  that  time  quarterly  meetings  were  usually 
held  in  private  residences,  or  in  little  school- 
houses,  as  church  edifices  were  few  and  widely 
separated.  But  a  better  day  has  dawned  for 
preachers  and  people  in  Iowa.  Thirty-five  years 
has  made  a  great  change.  While  the  work  goes 
slowly,  on  account  of  the  constant  migration  of 
the  people  to  other  sections  and  for  other 
reasons,  yet  a  good  supply  of  churches  and  par- 
sonages and  a  better  support  financially  have 
removed  many  of  the  inconveniences  and  diffi- 
culties incident  to  pioneer  days. 


204 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

Early  Minnesota  Workers. 

Up  to  1849  the  population  of  Minnesota,  which 
was  then  made  a  Territory,  did  not  exceed  six 
thousand  souls.  When  admitted  to  the  Union, 
nine  years  afterward,  this  handful  had  grown  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand.  There  was 
something  about  its  climate,  soil,  and  scenery 
which  made  it  famous  and  attracted  homeseek- 
ers  from  all  the  East.  Perhaps  no  new  section 
in  the  Northwest  could  ever  boast  of  a  more 
widely  representative  population  than  Minne- 
sota had  in  its  early  days. 

Its  first  territorial  legislature  was  composed 
of  men  who  had  come  from  thirteen  different 
States — not  foreigners,  as  we  now  have  them, 
but  sturdy  Americans,  patriotic  and  Christian, 
as  their  ofiicial  record  abundantly  proves. 

It  is  a  question  whether  any  commonwealth 

was  ever  constructed  upon  a  foundation  more 

stable  and  abiding  than  that  which  was  laid  by 

the  framers  of   Minnesota's  laws. 

A  stable  'liberty  and   Law,   Religion   and 

Foundation  *'  -'  ^ 

Education"  are  the  four  great  cor- 
ner-stones. In  view  of  these  things  we  are  not 
surprised  to  find  emigrants  pushing  their  way 
into  the  new  Territory,  and  that  among  them 
were  United  Brethren  from  every  State  from 
Illinois  to  Pennsylvania. 

205 


Our  HeroeSy  or 

The  first  preacher,  Edmund  Clow,  of  the 
old  Rock  River  (now  Northern  Illinois)  Con- 
ference, went  there  in  1854  and  finding  the  peo- 
ple scattered,  like  sheep  without  a  shepherd,  at 
once  began  to  minister  to  them.  The  outlook 
seemed  so  hopeful  that  upon  returning  to  his 
Conference  the  following  year  he  asked  and  re- 
ceived ordination  that  he  might  go  back  prepared 
to  administer  the  sacraments,  and  to  organize 
churches.  A  mission  called  "Pine  Creek"  was 
mapped  out  and  placed  under  his  care. 

J.  W.  FULKERSON 

In  the  meantime  the  Missionarj^  Board  had 
been  appealed  to  on  behalf  of  the  new  field,  and 
at  once  laid  its  hands  on  J.  W.  Fulkerson 
as  a  suitable  representative  for  such  a  work. 
The  new  man  chosen  was  born  in  Frederick 
County,  Virginia,  January  16,  1822.  When 
seventeen  he  was  converted,  and  four  years  later 
joined  the  Virginia  Annual  Conference,  in  which 
he  spent  thirteen  years  as  an  itinerant.  Mov- 
ing west,  he  stopped  for  a  few  months  in  Iowa, 
and  then,  at  the  behest  of  the  Board,  proceeded 
to  the  field  assigned  him. 

On  the  26th  of  September,  1856,  he  took  his 
family  and  household  goods  aboard  a  little  steam- 
Rests  with  a  ^^  ^t  Muscatine,  and  started  up  the 
Fellow-  Mississippi.      His    objective   point 

was  Dacato,  in  Winona  County,  a 
small  river  village,  where  he  was  met  by  Edmund 
Clow  and  taken  to  his  home  some  miles  dis- 
tant.   Here  they  tarried  and  rested  a  few  days, 

206 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Writing  concerning  tlieir  stay  Avith  this  servant 
of  the  Church,  Mr.  Fulkerson  said,  "They  did 
not  have  very  much  to  eat,  but  cheerfully  divided 
with  us,  so  it  turned  out  that  we  all  had  plenty." 
It  was  simply  another  instance  where  the  meal 
and  oil  were  increased  as  God's  servants  had 
need. 

Securing  two  light  wagons  the  missionary  re- 
loaded his  family  and  their  belongings  and 
started  westward  for  Olmsted  County,  where  he 
pitched  his  tent  and  held  his  first  public  meeting 
near  the  site  of  what  afterward  became  the  town 
of  Eyota.  Speaking  of  his  field  he  comments  as 
follows : 

"I  found  a  sparsely  settled  country.  The  im- 
provements consisted  chiefly  of  log  cabins,  rough 
board  shacks,  and  sod  houses.  About  each  of 
these  from  five  to  twenty  acres  of  land  had  been 
broken.  What  money  the  people 
conditioB  of  |jrj(j  ^.^s  spent  during  the  long 
winter  that  followed,  so  that  when 
spring  came  many  were  discouraged  and  home- 
sick. Living  was  high  for  both  man  and  beast. 
I  paid  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  a  bushel  for 
oats,  and  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  for  the 
first  bushel  of  seed-corn.  Pork  was  twenty-eight 
cents  per  pound  and  flour  nine  dollars  per  hun- 
dred. Potatoes  could  not  be  had  at  any  price 
as  they  were  all  frozen  before  Christmas.  On 
the  second  of  December  snow  began  to  fall  and 
continued  without  abatement  for  thirty-six 
hours,  which  left  the  ground  covered  at  a  depth 
of  five  feet.     Wild  animals  and  birds  by  instinct 

207 


Our  EeroeSy  or 

gathered  in  flocks  and  perished.     It  was  a  per- 
iod of  great  suffering/'    When  this  storm  began 
.    .  a  teacher  who   boarded  with  the 

Bird*  and  missionarj  dismissed  his  school  and 

Animals  Perish  '^ 

urged  his  pupils  to  hurry  to  their 
homes.  But  one  dear  little  girl  lost  her  course 
and  perished  in  the  cold.  The  search  for  her 
body  by  parents  and  sympathizing  friends  con- 
tinued for  thirty  days  before  it  was  recovered. 

Such  hardships  brought  a  new  experience  to 
Mr.  Fulkerson,  but  his  courage  was  dauntless 
and  his  faith  victorious.  He  was  there  to  stay 
regardless  of  consequences  to  himself  and  family. 
In  his  devotion  to  the  work  and  determination 
to  succeed  he  was  very  much  like  Ignatius  de 
Loyola  whose  zeal  for  the  mother-church  led  him 
to  say :  "At  the  command  of  the  Pope  I  will  em- 
bark for  any  coast  in  a  vessel  without  a  mast, 
rudder,  or  stores.''     Only  such  men  win. 

Mr.  Fulkerson  early  became  a  student  of  hu- 
man nature,  and  thus  learned  to  adapt  himself 
to  his  environments,  whatever  their  nature. 
When  he  started  in  the  ministry  his  Christian 
mother  most  generously  advised  him  as  to  what 
and  how  he  should  do  when  away  from  home. 
She  said :  "John,  your  rest  must  be 

A   Mother's  ^^    i^^^j,         ^^^^^    ^jj    ^,.^j^  .J 

Advice 

Make  your  back  fit  everybody's 
bed.  By  your  social  life  attract  the  people,  and 
by  your  religious  life  save  them."  This  counsel 
he  remembered  and  followed  as  long  as  he  re- 
mained in  active  service. 

On  the  fifth  of  August,  1857,  the  first  session 

208 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

of  the  Minnesota  Conference  was  oi)ene(i  with 
Bishop  Lewis  Davis  presiding.  Only  four — 
John  Haney,  Edmund  Ck)w,  John  Murrell,  and 
J.  W.  Fulkerson — were  present  to  enter  the  new 
organization.  The  reports  showed  twenty-nine 
appointments,  fourteen  classes,  and  two  liundred 
and  forty-seven  members. 

The  three  men  who  gave  themselves  to  the 
work  the  following  year  received  in  financial 
support,  including  1400  appropriated  by  the  Gen- 
eral Board,  ?564.60,  or  |188.20  each."^  On  this 
amount,  with  the  little  that  could  be  grown  at 
home,  the  missionary  supported  his  family.  But 
amid  it  all,  so  he  informs  us,  he  vras  happy  and 
hopeful  in  his  work.  During  the  year  his  labors 
were  unusually  strenuous  and  his  personal  dis- 
comforts many.  Long  trips  across  storm-swept 
prairies,  amid  sleet  and  snow,  Avithout  any 
friendly  home  to  olier  shelter,  not  infrequently 

endangered  life  itself.  Not  being 
Poncho  Worn      ^j^j^  ^^  provide  suitable  wraps  for 

the  frigid  climate,  he  made  a  sort 
of  poncho  out  of  a  blanket,  such  as  the  Indians 
wore,  and  used  it  until  a  friend,  lately  from  the 
East,  loaned  him  his  sealskin  overcoat  for  the 
rest  of  the  winter. 

On  one  trip  he  rode  his  horse  twenty-eight 
miles,  the  coldest  day  he  ever  witnessed,  in  the 
face  of  a  northwest  wind,  without  stopping  to 
warm  and  with  nothing  to  protect  him  but  his 
Indian  garb.  About  this  time  he  met  a  Jesuit 
priest,  who  said  he  had  slept  fourteen  nights 
under  snow,  farther  north. 

209 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

Subsequent  to  this  the  General  Missionary 
Secretary,  in  describing  the  work  in  Minnesota, 
wrote :  ''When  in  the  providence  of  God  his  peo- 
ple are  required  to  make  great  sacrifices  for  him, 
grand  results  are  sure  to  follow. 
A  Secretary's      \^^^^  f j^jj  ^^  sccmcd  hard  to  ask  a 

Report 

brother  who  had  removed  to  west- 
ern Iowa,  two  hundred  miles,  to  educate  his  fam- 
ily, to  move  back  again  in  just  one  year;  and 
another,  to  take  a  field  of  labor  that  would  keep 
him  most  of  the  time  from  an  afflicted  wife,  who 
could  not  be  moved." 

In  1865,  I.  L.  Buchwalter,  a  presiding  elder, 
described  the  situation  thus :  ''There  seems 
to  be  a  general  spirit  of  prayer  among  us  here 
this  year,  and  especially  on  the  border.  Keviv- 
als  are  being  promoted  and  new  classes  organ- 
ized. On  Ottumwa  mission  we  have  started  a 
new  class  of  thirteen,  embracing  the  best  citizens 
of  the  neighborhood.  It  was  at  this  place  where 
the  Indians  did  such  terrible  work  in  slaughter- 
ing the  whites  in  1862.  It  is  quite  on  the  border 
in  sight  of  the  boundless  prairies.  The  preach- 
ers here  have  to  work  for  very  small  salaries. 
The  people  are  poor,  having  just  come  in.  Many 
live  in  sod  houses,  partly  underground,  and 
roofed  over  with  poles,  brush,  and  earth.  They 
have  no  lumber  with  which  to  build,  or  money 
to  buy.  Food  for  the  preacher's  horse  can 
scarcely  be  found.  Much  hay  was  burned  last 
fall  by  untimely  prairie  fires.  Yet,  how  wel- 
come to  this  people  in  rags  is  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel  with  its  cheering,  soothing  voice.'' 

210 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Mr.  Fulkerson,  in  a  letter  recently  written,  re- 
fers to  the  Indian  outbreak  mentioned  in  the 
foregoing  report.  He  says :  ''It  was  a  great  loss 
to  Minnesota  when,  in  August  of  1862,  twenty- 
one  of  her  noble  sons  and  daughters  were  cruelly 
slain  by  the  Sioux  Indians.  The 
Indian  Sabbath  before  the  outbreak  I  vis- 

Massncre 

ited  the  neighborhood  where  the 
massacre  occurred  and  organized  a  class  of  thir- 
teen members.  Some  of  our  people  had  moved 
there  from  my  neighborhood,  and  I  wished  to 
save  them  to  the  Church.  With  one  of  these 
families  I  tarried  on  Sunday  night.  The  next 
morning  I  was  up  and  away  as  the  sun  made 
golden  and  beautiful  the  eastern  horizon.  I  left 
the  brethren  full  of  good  cheer,  not  so  much  as 
dreaming  of  the  awful  fate  that  awaited  them. 
But  the  plot  had  been  formed  and  before  I 
reached  home  had  been  executed  in  cold  blood.'' 

How  narrow  the  escape  of  the  missionary! 
While  the  laymen  slain  were  noble  souls  and 
were  greatly  needed  in  building  up  the  Church 
in  the  "Star  of  the  North,"  how  miich  greater 
the  loss  would  have  been  to  that  section,  and  to 
the  whole  Church,  if  their  leader  had  been  num- 
bered with  them. 

Jealousv  and  whiskv  were  the  main  causes  of 

the  massacre.    The  Government  felt  most  keenly 

the  loss  of  these  citizens,  and  with- 


„    ,  .  in  a  few  months  had  arrested,  con- 

Punishment  ' 


Swift 

iiment 

victed,  and  executed,  on  the  same 
gallows,   seventeen   of  the  leading  offenders. 
Mr.  Fulkerson,  the  hero  of  so  many  battles, 

211 


Our  Heroes,  or 

has  never  quit  the  field  to  which  he  was  assigned 
more  than  a  half  century  ago.  At  the  age  of 
eighty-seven  he  retains  his  mental  powers  in  a 
remarkable  degree  and  is  as  much  concerned  in 
the  progress  of  his  Church  as  ever  before.  In 
his  last  message  he  says :  "I  am  jealous  for  God's 
truth.  The  more  of  the  Bible  we  have  woven 
into  our  lives  the  richer  our  experience,  the  more 
successful  our  labors,  and  the  brighter  our  hope 
of  heaven.  If  I  had  my  life  to  live  over  I  should 
spend  it  in  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in 
Christ.  The  name  is  richer  and  sweeter  to  me 
now  than  ever  before.'^ 


212 


CHAPTER  XX. 

The  Work  in  Missouri. 

As  has  been  noted  elsewhere,  the  first  United 
Brethren  class  known  in  Missouri  was  organ- 
ized in  Clark  County  in  1851,  by  John  Ever- 
hart,  of  the  Iowa  Conference.  The  second  was 
established  not  long  afterward  in  Union  County 
by  Ira  B.  Ryan,  of  the  same  conference.  The 
first  regular  preaching,  however,  was  done  in  the 

southwestern  portion  of  the  State 
^*'**  by  Henry  Kumler,  Jr.,  Josiah  Ter- 

rell,  and  others,  and  here,  in  1853, 
a  conference  was  organized.  Mr.  Kumler  was 
sent  as  a  missionary  by  the  Board. 

In  1858  the  conference  north  of  the  Missouri 
River,  composed  mainly  of  ministers  who  for- 
merly belonged  to  the  Des  Moines  Conference, 
was  launched  by  Bishop  Edwards.  That  the 
first  conference  organized  still  existed,  and  was 
independent  of  the  second,  are  facts  clearly 
shown  by  Daniel  Shuck,  who  spent  the  year 
1858-59  in  the  State  under  the  direction  of  the 
General  Board.  In  his  diary  we  find  this  item  : 
"October  1.  Missouri  Mission  Conference  met 
in  its  fifth  session  at  the  residence  of  Brother 
Coblentz.  Members  present.  Bishop  D.  Edwards, 
W.  B.  Southard,  A.  P.  Floyd,  and  D.  Shuck.  We 
closed  our  meeting  on  Sabbath,  the  tenth.'' 

213 


Our  Heroes,  or 

Doctor  Berger,  in  his  history  of  the  Church, 
says  the  North  Conference  was  organized  Octo- 
ber   18,    at    Atlanta,    in    Macon 
Conferences        County.     If  this  be  correct,  then 

Organized  ^  ^ 

evidently  the  Bishop  went  to  the 
last-named  point  direct  from  the  session  referred 
to  by  Mr.  Shuck.  In  a  succeeding  chapter  we 
shall  have  occasion  to  speak  further,  and  at 
length,  of  this  missionary's  labors  in  Missouri. 

It  is  a  question  whether  the  ministers  of  any 
part  of  the  great  Southwest  have  ever  made  a 
more  heroic  effort  to  build  up  and  sustain  the 
Church  than  have  those  who  chose  Missouri  as 
the  scene  of  their  toil.  As  no  authentic  history 
of  the  two  conferences  in  their  early  years  can 
be  found,  except  what  Missionary  Shuck  inci- 
dentally furnishes,  we  are  unable  to  give  the 
reports  of  the  workers,  and  consequently  know 
nothing  of  the  pecuniary  support  they  received. 

The  proceedings  of  the  North  Conference  for 
1862  show  eight  missions  and  one  circuit.  Seven 
men  were  employed  and  received  an  aggregate 
salary  of  |938.00.  Of  this  amount  $500.00  was 
furnished  by  the  Mission  Board.  But  great  re- 
vivals were  promoted  in  spite  of  the 
^'****         ^       excitement  occasioned  by  the  war, 

Achievements  •^  ' 

and  the  utter  contempt  in  which 
the  Church  was  held  by  extreme  political  parti- 
sans. The  membership  was  increased  from  three 
hundred  and  forty-eight  to  nine  hundred  and 
ninety. 

The  next  session  was  held  in  April,  18G4. 
Twelve  preachers  reported  a  salary,  all  told,  of 

214 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

11,604.21,  including  another  |500.00  from  the 
Board.  The  Secretary  of  the  1865  session  in- 
serted in  the  minutes  the  following  comment 
which  is  significant :  ''Had  some  drawbacks  this 
year.  Old  rebel  Pap  Price  made  a  raid  into 
Missouri.  Some  of  the  preachers  were  shot  at, 
but  the  Lord  spared  us  all.''  This  shows  some- 
thing of  the  tension  under  which  the  missionaries 
carried  forward  their  work;  nevertheless  they 
reported  progress  in  some  regards. 
Membership  rjy^^  uumbcr  of  ficlds  had  grown  to 
'""^"  seventeen,  and  the  aggregate  mem- 

bership enlarged  to  1,337.  The  salary  and  ap- 
propriations aggregated  |1,293.  The  two  pre- 
siding elders  together  received  |419.16.  The 
enlargement  of  the  work  was  truly  marvelous 
under  the  circumstances.  God  so  blessed  it  that 
at  the  end  of  1867  the  number  of  communicants 
was  2,382.  With  what  tireless  zeal  and  effort 
the  gospel  messengers  pressed  their  cause,  and 
with  what  courage  they  braved  the  hardships 
which  must  have  come  to  them  and  their  fam- 
ilies ! 

M.  BRATCHER 

Only  one  of  the  older  ministers  in  the  State 
remains  to  connect  us  with  the  sixties.  Mr.  M. 
Bratcher  has  been  in  constant  service,  until  re- 
cently, since  1869.  His  first  year  was  spent  on 
Eagleville  Circuit,  and  the  next  on  Marysville. 
The  last  named  consisted  of  eighteen  appoint- 
ments located  in  portions  of  Nodaway  and 
Worth  Counties,  Missouri,  and  Page  and  Taylor 

215 


Our  Heroes y  or 

Counties,  Iowa.  This  indicates  that  the  boun- 
daries of  the  conference  extended  across  the 
State  line,  and  included  a  small  portion  of 
southwestern  Iowa. 

The  field  was  sixty  miles  long,  north  and  south, 

and  forty  east  and  west.     Each  appointment  was 

filled  every  two  weeks,  which  made  it  necessary 

to  preach  every  day  in  the  week 

^f  ^*  and  three  times  on   Sundav.     Of 

Circuit  *^ 

course,  such  a  charge  kept  the 
preacher  away  from  home  nearly  all  the  time, 
hence  he  was  compelled  to  study  on  horseback, 
and  in  that  way  prepare  himself  for  examina- 
tion in  his  conference  reading-course.  At  times, 
owing  to  the  deep  interest  he  felt  in  some  book 
he  might  be  reading,  he  would  become  utterly  ob- 
livious of  his  surroundings.  On  one  occasion, 
while  thus  absorbed  in  his  studies,  his  horse,  un- 
noticed, took  the  wrong  course,  and  when  he 
came  to  himself  he  w^as  so  bewildered  that  it 
took  him  some  time  to  determine  where  he  was, 
and  how  to  get  back  to  the  main  road  again. 
At  conference  he  reported  seventy-two  acces- 
sions and  a  salary  of  |2G9.00.  He 
Requisites  to      alwavs  cousidercd  three  things  as 

Success  ^  " 

essential  to  ministerial  success; 
namely,  grace,  good  sense,  and  courage.  And 
all  these  requisites  he  possessed  in  a  large  degree. 
The  next  conference  was  held  at  Avalon,  one 
hundred  and  sixteen  miles  distant,  and  every 
foot  of  the  journey  had  to  be  made  on  horse- 
back through  the  mud.  On  his  return  he  was 
compelled  to  ride  two  miles  through  water  mid- 
216 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

side  to  his  horse  in  crossing  the  Shoal  Creek 
bottoms. 

Soon  after  entering  the  work  of  his  confer- 
ence, his  faithful  companion  and  helpmeet  in 
Christian  service  bade  him  and  their  six  little 
children  good-by,  and  pushed  out  into  the  vast 
unseen.  He  speaks  of  this  as  the  ^'hardest  trial" 
of  his  life,  but  he  has  never  forgotten  the  exper- 
ience which  nmde  her  last  moments  so  glorious 
and  heaven  like.  Pointing  upward,  and  with  a 
face  all  wreathed  in  smiles,  she  exclaimed,  '^I 
see  Him !  oh,  I  see  Him !"  After  sharing  with 
her  husband  in  whatever  fell  to 
Companion  ^j^    |q^  ^f  r^^  itinerant  in  that  day, 

Dies  "^  ' 

how  fitting  that  she  should  be  given 
a  vision  of  her  Lord  as  she  gave  to  her  husband 
and  little  ones  the  last  farcAvell ;  and  will  not 
the  dear  Savior  recognize  her  when  the  crown- 
ing-time comes  as  the  copartner  of  his  servant 
in  the  ministry  of  reconciliation? 

When  Mr.  Bratcher  joined  the  conference  he 
was  made  Missionary  Treasurer.  A  number  of 
the  preachers  received  ?50.00  each  from  the  Gen- 
eral Board.  This,  to  be  sure,  was  a  small 
amount,  but  it  often  saved  them  from  serious 
embarrassment.  To  them  it  meant  so  much  that 
at  the  end  of  each  quarter  they  would  beg  him 
to  borrow  the  pittance  due  them  and  pay  it  if 
he  did  not  have  it  in  the  treasury.  As  we  go 
over  the  work  of  the  heroes  of  a  half  century 
ago,  and  see  hoAv  inadequate  their  support  was, 
and  then  consider  what  thev  had  to  do  in  return 
for  the  little  salary  paid  them,  we  are  astonished 

217 


Our  Heroes,  or 

and  wonder  how  it  all  happened.  For  many 
years  Mr.  Bratcher's  pay  did  not  average  more 
than  1160.00 

While  moving  from  Kidder  to  Eagleville  in 
a  wagon  one  September  morning,  soon  after 
conference,  a  most  distressing  accident  occurred. 
Little  Milton,  a  six-year-old  boy,  lost  his  balance, 
fell  to  the  ground,  and  was  instant- 
chiid  Killed  ly  killed  by  a  wheel  which  crushed 
his  head.  The  remains  were  ten- 
derly gathered  up  and  carried  back  to  the 
Wheeler  graveyard,  where  they  were  laid  away 
to  rest  by  the  side  of  his  sainted  mother.  When 
the  sad  funeral  was  over,  the  father  and  remain- 
ing members  of  the  family  journeyed  on  to  their 
appointed  field.  The  real  struggles  of  that  year 
were  never  known,  perhaps,  to  any  souls  on 
earth  outside  the  little  group  in  the  parsonage; 
but  the  good  angels  of  God  dwelt  there,  and  in 
their  ministries  of  love  filled  with  comfort  and 
hope  the  bereft  heart. 

This  old  servant  of  the  Church  still  lives, 
though  nearly  blind  and  almost  helpless.  In 
reviewing  the  long  years  of  his  ministry  he  thinks 
not  of  their  hardships.  ^^After  all,"  he  says, 
^^the  yoke  has  been  easy  and  the  burden  light." 

While  the  financial  conditions  in  Missouri 
have  greatly  improved  in  recent  years,  and  our 
pastors  are  receiving  a  better  sup- 
A  Hopeful  ^oYt  than  ever  before,  yet  many  of 

them  work  on  a  salary  by  no  means 
adequate  to  their  needs.  Though  the  membership 
of  the  conference  has  been  greatly  depleted  by 

218 


United  Bretliren  Home  Missionaries 

removals,  and  in  varions  other  ways,  we  never 
saw  the  day  when  the  Chnrch  in  Missouri  was 
so  well  equipped  for  service  and  success  as  at 
present.  Despite  the  adverse  conditions  which 
have  prevailed  from  first  to  last,  we  have  accum- 
ulated Church  and  parsonage  property  worth 
more  than  |100,000,  and  the  work  of  building 
still  goes  on.  The  membership  is  gradually 
growing  at  present,  and  everywhere  throughout 
the  conference  there  is  to  be  found  an  optimism 
and  enthusiasm  which  presage  achievements 
hitherto  unknown  among  our  workers. 


219 


LESSON  V. 


Chapter  XVII. 

1.  What  did  eastern  people  think  of  the  West?  What  is  the 
real  character  and  value  of  Iowa  as  a  State? 

2.  Who  was  the  first  United  Brethren  minister  to  settle  in 
Iowa  ? 

3.  Tell  of  A.  A.  Sellers,  his  removal  to  Iowa,  and  his  search 
for  Mr.  Byrd. 

4.  When  and  by  whom  were  the  first  classes  formed  in  Iowa? 

5.  Tell  of  Mr.  Sellers'  experience  in  storm  and  in  swollen 
stream. 

6.  Who  sent  Mr.  Everhart  to  Iowa,  and  what  of  his  work, 
his  hardships,  his  preaching  ability,  etc.  ? 

7.  What  do  you  recall  about  the  meeting  at  the  home  of  Joel 
Shively  ? 

8.  When  and  where  was  Iowa  Conference  organized,  and  how 
was  the  Church   introduced   into   Columbus   City? 

Chapter  XVIII. 

1.  Tell  of  the  early  recollections  of  D.  M.  Harvey,  of  his 
experience  in  the  blizzard,  of  his  family's  sufferings,  of  his  removal 
to  South  Dakota  Conference,  of  the  hardships  endured  by  him  and 
his   coworkers  there. 

2.  What  of  Abner  Corbin  ?  What  does  his  diary  say  about 
his  woi"k,  his  experiences  in  swimming  rivers,  etc.  ? 

3.  When  did  George  Miller  go  to  Iowa,  and  what  was  the 
financial  record  of  Des  Moines  Conference  up  to  that  time? 

4.  Describe  his  experience  in  snow-storm  ;  also  the  sufferings 
of  the  pastors  under  him. 

Chapter  XIX, 

1.  What  United  Brethren  preacher  first  went  to  Minnesota? 

2.  V/hen  and  by  whose  appointment  did  J.  W.  Fulkerson  go? 

8.  What  does  he  say  about  the  country  at  that  time,  its 
people,  winters,  etc.  ? 

4.  When  was  the  conference  organized?  What  membership? 
What  salaries,  etc.  ? 

5.  What  advice  did  Mr.  Pulkerson's  mother  give  him  ? 

6.  What  is  said  of  the  Indian  outbreak? 

7.  What  is  the  feeling  of  the  old  hero  at  this  time? 

Chapter  XX. 

1.  Who  first  preached  in  Missouri,  organizing  classes? 

2.  Tell  something  of  the  early  organization  of  the  conferences, 
revivals,  salaries,  etc. 

3.  Describe  the  work  and  peculiar  trials  of  M.  Bratcher,  as 
an  itinerant,  also  in  the  loss  of  his  wife  and  child. 

4.  What  is  the  present  outlook  of  the  conference? 

5.  Should  work  planted  at  so  great  a  cost  be  hurriedly 
abandoned  ? 

220 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Kansas  Pioneers. 

When  the  United  Brethren  entered  Kansas 
the  Territory  was  in  the  throes  of  civil  strife. 
Senator  Stephen  A.  Douglas  had  introduced  a 
bill  in  Congress  the  year  before  providing  for  the 
recognition  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska  as  Terri- 
tories, but  the  bill  contained  a  clause  which  left 
with  the  people  of  each  Territory  the  matter  of 
deciding  whether  it  should  be  slave  or  free. 
The  adoption  of  the  measure 
Political  ^,^g  ^  plain  violation  of  what  was 

Unrest  ^  .     ^ 

known  as  ''The  Missouri  Compro- 
mise,'' which  had  been  agreed  upon  and  meant 
that  slavery  was  not  to  be  extended  beyond  Mis- 
souri. The  agitation  in  Congress  was  soon  trans- 
ferred to  Kansas,  and  the  peoj^le  there  divided 
into  the  Slavery  and  Free-Soil  parties. 

The  struggle  between  the  two  parties  became 
desperate.  The  election  in  1854  resulted  in  the 
triumph  of  the  pro-slavery  party,  and  in  1855  a 
legislature  was  convened  at  Lecompton,  later  and 
for  many  years  the  seat  of  our  Lane  University. 
The  Free-Soil  party,  which  charged  that  frauds 
had  been  perpetrated  in  the  election,  in  various 
ways,  called  another  legislature  at  Topeka  and 
set  up  a  rival  government.     The  strife  and  blood- 

■    221 


Our  Heroes,  or 

shed  which  followed  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  whole  country,  and  everywhere  the  people 
bemoaned  the  condition  of  ''bleeding  Kansas." 
Missouri,  a  slave  State,  was  bent  on 
Bleeding  forcluff    hcr    questionable    system 

Kansas  »  ^  ^ 

upon  the  new  Territory,  and  to 
carry  out  her  program  sent  hundreds  of  her 
voters  across  the  line  to  control  the  elections.  No 
man  along  the  border  was  safe  if  he  dared  to 
express  adverse  sentiments,  or  appeared  to  sym- 
pathize with  the  Free-Soil  advocates. 

Such  a  state  of  affairs,  in  the  very  nature  of 
things,  would  make  church  work  slow  and  un- 
certain of  success. 

WILLIAM  A.  CARDWELIi 

In  1855  the  General  Board  sent  W.  A.  Card- 
well,  of  White  River  Conference,  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  Kansas.  So  far  as  we  are  able  to 
determine,  only  one  missionary,  S.  Y.  Lum, 
a  Congregationalist,  preceded  him  in  the  new 
field. 

Mr.  Cardwell  moved  his  family  in  a  wagon, 
and  was  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  days  mak- 
ing the  journey.  Upon  reaching  the  Territory,  he 
found  himself  homeless,  penniless,  and  almost 
friendless.  Settling  in  a  shack  at 
Ho'^^e  -^^^  Springs,  he  at  once  began  a 

survey  of  the  country,  and  soon 
had  an  appointment  for  every  day  in  the  week. 
Some  of  the  preaching-places  were  a  day's  travel 
from  home.  "Wind  and  tide"  were  against  the 
hero.     No  support  for  his  family,  and  a  bloody 

222 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

political  controversy,  created  conditions  which 
tried  his  very  soul.  Includino-  the  small  appro- 
priation made  by  the  Board,  his  salary  for  the 
first  year  did  not  exceed  $65.00.  Hoav  his  de- 
voted wife  and  children  existed  during  this  try- 
ing period,  God  only  knows.  We  rejoice  in  the 
thought,  however,  that  he  does  know  and  has  a 
perfectly  kept  record  of  it  all. 

Mr.  Card  well  was  a  man  who  thought  for  him- 
self, and  had  the  courage  of  his  convictions.  He 
stood  for  the  freedom  of  Kansas,  and  had  made 
bold  to  express  his  views  whenever  there  was 
occasion  for  it.  Such  a  course 
preaTheT""'  ^^de  him  a  target  for  the  pro- 
slavery  element,  and  consequently 
endangered  his  life.  His  neighbors  who  were 
friendly  with  him,  but  not  with  his  views,  fre- 
quently warned  him  against  further  denuncia- 
tion of  slavery  and  whisky ;  but  to  him  the  path 
of  duty  seemed  clear,  and  he  was  bound  to  walk 
in  it  regardless  of  personal  results. 

On  one  occasion  he  met  twelve  ^'border  ruf- 
fians" squarely  in  the  road.  They  were  all 
armed,  and  he  was  quick  to  see  that  his  safety 
lay  in  a  bold  front;  so  he  walked  right  up  to 
their  guns,  which  were  leveled  at  him,  as  though 
he  utterly  disregarded  them.  The  usual  ques- 
tion was  put  to  him — ^' Where  are  you  from?" 
to  which  he  replied  immediately,  "Kentucky." 
This  seemed  to  satisfy  them.  His  answer  was 
true,  though  he  had  lived  many  years  in  Indiana 
after  leaving  his  Southern  home. 

J.  C.  Bright,  the  General  Missionary  Secre- 

223 


Our  Heroes,  or 

idiVj,  about  this  period  wrote  as  follows:  ^'The 
political  sky  in  Kansas  is  cloudy  at  present,  but 
freedom  must  in  the  end  prevail.  If  Kansas 
should  ever  be  a  slave  State,  we  ought  not  to 
abandon  it.  The  gospel  of  Christ  is  light,  and 
wherever  the  dark  cloud  of  slavery  is  spread, 
there  the  liaht  should  be  diffused. 


Missionaries       Through  sore  troubles  and  perse- 


cutions the  brethren  continued  to 
prosecute  their  work.  Frequently  they  have 
been  mobbed,  waylaid,  shot  at,  threatened,  and 
troubled  on  every  hand,  but  they  are  not  in  des- 
pair." Again  he  says:  '^If  our  brethren  who 
are  now  in  Kansas  have  preached  between 
stacks  of  arms ;  if  they  have  seen  brother  pursu- 
ing brother  with  a  view  to  kill;  if  they  have 
seen  the  smoke  and  heard  the  roar  of  cannon ;  if 
they  have  had  their  own  property  stolen;  yea, 
more,  had  revolvers  and  knives  pointed  at  their 
hearts,  and  threatened  with  instant  death, — T 
say,  if  men  who  have  passed  through  such  expe- 
riences as  these  say  they  are  not  discouraged, 
what  should  be  our  response?'' 

A  dozen  armed  ^'bushwhackers"  came  to  arrest 
Mr.  Oardwell  one  day  at  his  home,  and  found 
him  digging  a  well.  In  obedience  to  their  or- 
ders he  came  out,  but  upon  reaching  the  surface 
found  himself  in  front  of  a  dozen  guns.  Un- 
daunted by  these  he  began  to  ridi- 
upbraids  I    them  for  their  cowardice,  say- 

l^neinies  '         *^ 

ing,  "Surely  twelve  brave  men 
would  not  think  of  firing  on  an  innocent  man, 
and  he  unarmed,"  whereupon  the  leader  of  the 

224 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

squad  remarked:  "Don't  shoot,  boys.  I'll  never 
stand  by  and  see  as  brave  a  man  as  he  is,  killed.'' 

For  political  reasons  a  number  of  pei^sons 
had  been  arrested  and  imprisoned  at  Lecompton. 
One  or  two  of  these  were  special  friends  of  the 
preacher.  Anxious  to  see  them,  he  went  to  the 
ii:uard  and  asked  permission  to  enter  the  jail. 
The  gruff  reply  was :  "No,  sir.  Jesus  Christ  him- 
self couldn't  get  in  if  he  were  here."  "If  I  am 
not  mistaken,  he  is  in  there  now,"  replied  Mr. 
Cardwell,  and  quietly  walked  away. 

The  first  United  Brethren  class  in  the  Terri- 
tory was  organized  by  him  at  Big  Springs  in 
1855,  consisting  of  thirteen  members.  Of  this 
number,  four — B.  S.  Moore,  Mat- 
First  Class  and  ^.      Cardv/ell,    D.    Lawrence,    and 

Nancy  Brooks — still  survive.  The 
following  year  a  church-edifice  of  stone  and 
cement  was  erected  under  the  missionary's 
supervision  for  the  new  class,  a  cut  of  which 
may  be  seen  on  another  page. 

About  the  time  the  Church  was  established 
here  a  certain  doctor  decided  to  set  up  a  saloon, 
and  accordingly  purchased  a  barrel  of  wiiisky. 
Satan  is  alwavs  most  active  when  the  work  of 
God  prospers.  But  the  alert  Cardwell  was  de- 
Pipj,^  termined  that  the  influence  of  his 

Temperance       rcccut  rcvlval  efforts  should  not  be 
**^  **  counteracted  in  any  such  fashion; 

so  he  called  a  meeting  of  the  citizens,  mounted 
the  whisky  barrel,  and  made  such  a  withering 
speech  against  the  proposed  saloon  that  the  in- 
dignant people  proceeded  at  once,  without  cere- 

225 


Our  Heroes,  or 

mony,  to  empty  the  barrel's  contents  into  the 
doctor's  yard. 

Such  was  Mr.  Cardwell's  way  of  doing  things ; 
and  such  has  been  the  method  of  Kansas  ever 
since  in  dealing  with  the  liquor  traffic.  Indeed, 
it  may  be  truthfully  said  that  Kansas  is  great 
to-day  because  the  foundations  on  which  her 
moral,  civic,  and  commercial  interests  rest  were 
made  broad  and  strong  by  the  noble  men  who 
laid  them. 

S.    S.    SNYDER 

This  gallant  member  of  the  King's  guard, 
sent  by  the  Board  from  the  Allegheny  Confer- 
ence in  1856  to  assist  Mr.  Cardwell,  became  a 
victim  of  political  guerillas,  and  laid  down  his 
life  in  attestation  of  his  loyalty  to  the  Church, 
and  his  love  of  human  liberty.  He  was  the  first 
presiding  elder  of  the  conference,  and  by  his 
pulpit  utterances  and  newspaper  articles, 
aroused  against  himself  the  most  intense  hatred 
and  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  Church's  ene- 
mies. His  life  was  threatened  almost  daily. 
His  friends  cautioned  him  to  be  more  conserva- 
tive, but  the  brave  Snyder,  like  Enoch,  God's 

prophet  before  the  flood,  contin- 
Guerriuas  ^^^  ^^  wam  the  pcople  "of  all  their 

ungodly  deeds."  Finally,  the  por- 
tentous cloud,  which  had  been  so  long  gather- 
ing, broke  in  fury  upon  the  town  of  Lawrence, 
where  he  lived.  A  young  school-teacher  from 
Kentucky,  by  the  name  of  Quantrill,  raided  the 
place  at  the  head  of  an  armed  force,  reduced  it 

226 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

to  aslies,  and  mercilessl}^  killed  one  hundred 
and  fifty  of  its  citizens.  Mr.  Snyder  was  found 
in  his  barn-yard,  and  instantly  shot  down  at  the 
hands  of  the  bloodthirsty  mob.  Thus  on  that 
fateful  day  there  were  left  to  mourn  eiiifhtv  new- 
ly-made  widows  and  two  hundred  and  fifty 
newly-made  orphans.    This  was  in  18(U. 

It  is  clear,  from  what  we  have  shown,  that  the 
civil  strife  which  existed  in  Kansas  during  the 
first  ten  years  of  the  Church's  operations  there, 
and  the  consequent  bloodshed  and  social  es- 
trangements, made  the  work  difficult  and  pain- 
fully slow.  But  a  brayer,  truer  band  of  men 
neyer  liyed  and  wrought  than  were  the  United 
Brethren  who  planted  and  nurtured  the  Church 
of  their  choice  on  Kansas  soil  during  these  per- 
ilous times. 

JOSIAH   TERREIiLi 

Josiah  Terrell  moved  to  Kansas  from  southern 
Missouri  in  1856,  and  joined  himself  to  the 
handful  of  workers  already  on  the  ground. 
While  preaching  in  Missouri  he  suffered  many 
indignities  at  the  hands  of  the  Church's  oppos- 
ers,  being  threatened  more  than  once  with  mob 
violence.  But,  like  many  of  his  contempora- 
ries, he  had  given  himself  to  the  cause  of  human 
freedom,  and  to  the  work  of  the  Church,  and 
proposed  to  carry  out  the  progTam  at  all  hazard. 
His  chivalry  knew  no  fear;  his  zeal  for  the  king- 
dom knew  no  languor.  Serving  as  presiding 
elder  in  Kansas  for  years  he  became  well  known 
and  was  loved  by  all  the  churches. 

227 


;  Our  Heroes  J  or 

Though  his  support  was  pitifully  small,  and 
his  privations  manifold,  he  always  took  a  hope- 
ful view  of  things,  and  believed  most  implicitly 
in  a  sustaining  and  over-ruling  Providence.  One 
illustration  will  serve  to  show  the  true  spirit  of 
the  man.  One  day,  when  travel- 
River**  '"***  ^^S  ^^  company  with  missionary 
Cardwell,  his  horse  mired  as  he  en- 
tered a  stream,  and  fell  in  the  ice-cold  water. 
The  rider,  however,  with  rare  presence  of  mind, 
kept  in  the  saddle,  and  w^hen  the  horse  finally 
came  to  his  feet  again,  shouted  at  the  top  of  his 
voice,  "Glory  to  God  for  salvation."  After  rid- 
ing many  miles  farther  in  his  wet  clothes,  in  the 
face  of  a  cold  March  wind,  he  preached  with 
great  power  to  a  crowded  house. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place,  in  this  connection, 
to  give,  briefly,  the  history  of  a  church  bell  with 
which  this  pioneer  had  to  do.  While  it  may 
have  but  little  relation  to  the  general  purpose  of 
this  book,  it  will,  without  doubt,  interest  the 
reader,  as  it  has  in  it  a  touch  both  of  the  roman- 
tic and  pathetic. 

On  his  way  from  General  Conference  in  1849, 
he  purchased  a  bell  in  Cincinnati  for  a  certain 
church  in  Illinois,  and  as  he  could  get  it  for 
half  price,  paid  for  it  himself.  When  the  bell 
was  put  up  he  had  a  note  made  in  the  quarterly 
conference  record  to  the  effect  that 
^"jY  **  the  property  was  his,  and  should 

be  so  recognized,  until  paid  for. 
After  a  while  the  preaching-place  was  dropped, 
the  church  sold,  and  a  law-suit  instituted  by 

228 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

certain  parties  to  secure  the  bell.  While  the 
trial  was  in  progress  the  real  owner  rode  into 
town,  and,  hearing  of  what  was  going  on,  at  once 
looked  up  the  old  quarterly-conference  minutes, 
presented  them  to  the  court,  and  demanded  the 
property,  which  was  awarded  him  without  hesi- 
tation. In  1854  he  moved  the  bell  in  his  wagon 
to  Missouri,  later  to  Mound  City,  Kansas,  and 
finally  to  Lecompton,  when  he  sold  it  to  the 
Presbyterians  for  ninetv  dollars. 

A  fcAv  years  passed  and  these  people  gave  up 
their  appointment  here,  and  built  in  the  town  of 
Perry,  north  of  the  Kaw  River,  a  mile  and  a  half 
distant.  Being  in  need  of  a  bell  they  decided  to 
transfer  to  the  new  church  the  one  they  had  left 
in  Lecompton,  and  accordingly  sent  for  it.  But 
the  denizens  of  the  little  burg  re- 
captured  fuscd    uiost    positlvcly    to    scc    it 

moved.  They  had  paid  for  it,  they 
said,  and  proposed  to  keep  it.  Nothing  more 
was  said  for  the  time.  Finally,  the  Fourth  of 
July  came  around.  The  people  of  Lecompton 
were  patriotic,  and  all  went  out  to  a  grove  a 
mile  or  two  away  to  celebrate.  Upon  returning 
home  in  the  evening  they  were  greatly  surprised 
to  hear  the  clear  tones  of  their  venerable  bell 
ringing  out  from  the  cupola  of  the  Perry  Presby- 
terian Church,  it  having  been  carried  away  in 
their  absence,  and  without  their  knowledge. 

This  was  not  all.  Father  Terrell,  in  his  last 
years,  moved  to  Perry  and  died  there;  and  this 
same  bell  called  the  people  to  his  funeral,  which 
was  conducted  by  Dr.  G.  M.  Human,  and  tolled 

229 


Our  Heroes,  or 

a   solemn    requiem    as    the    procession    started 
toward  the  place  of  his  burial. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  KANSAS  CONFERENCE. 

On  the  30th  of  October,  1857,  Bishop  David 
Edwards  organized  the  Kansas  Conference  in  a 
sod  house  owned  by  S.  S.  Snyder.  Other 
helpers,  who  will  be  noticed  later,  had  come  in 
by  this  time.  Five  ministers  besides  the  Bishop 
and  two  laymen  were  present.  The  church- 
membership  was  about  two  hundred.  The  follow- 
ing appointments  were  made :  S.  S.  Snyder,  pre- 
siding elder.  Tecumseh,  W.  A.  Cardwell;  Big 
Springs,  A.  M.  Thornton;  Lawrence,  S.  Kret- 
zinger ;  Prairie  City,  J.  S.  Gingerich ;  Upper  Ne- 
osho, G.  Perkins ;  Lower  Neosho,  A.  Bixler ;  Fort 
Scott,  J.  Terrell;  Ossawotamie,  W.  Huffman. 


230 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Trying  Times  Among  Kansas  Pioneers. 

Vsliile  strong  men  were  added  to  the  ministry 
of  the  conference  from  time  to  time,  the  work, 
nevertheless,  was  difficult  for  many  years.  Va- 
rious reasons  conspired  to  make  it  so.  The  con- 
stant agitation  of  the  slavery  question,  and  the 
deadlv  hostilitv  aroused  anions:  the  Southern 
and  Northern  people  who  had  gone  thither  to 
live,  militated  greatly  against  religious  work  in 
general,  and  especially  in  communities  where 
both  elements  were  represented.  Brother  was 
arrayed  against  brother.  Despite  this  situation, 
however,  our  membership  grew,  until  it  num- 
bered nine  hundred  and  twentv-eisfht  bv  1860. 
The  increase  came  lar^dv  from  the  United 
Brethren  who  had  moved  in  from  other  States. 
In  the  midst  of  the  political  turmoil,  which 
continued  without  abatement,  came  the  great 
drouth,  unparalleled  in  American  history.  An 
old  settler  describes  it  thus:  ^'Enough  rain  did 
not  fall  in  some  localities  from  early  in  the  fall 
of  1859  until  midsummer  in  1860  to  lay  the  dust. 
In  the  spring,  farmers  went  to  work  with  the 

ho^je  and  expectation  that  rain 
A  Destructive     ^^Quld  comc,  but  tlicv  wcrc  disap- 

pointed.  Vegetation  tried  to  start 
up,  but  soon  died ;  springs  and  creeks  went  dry ; 
wells  gave  out,  and  many  persons  were  forced  to 

231 


Our  HeroeSy  or 

haul  water  for  drinking  and  cooking  purposes 
for  miles.  Finally,  the  hot  winds  set  in,  blister- 
ing and  withering  everything  in  the  line  of  veg- 
etation that  possessed  a  semblance  of  life.  Mer- 
cury was  driven  higher  than  it  has  ever  been 
since,  and  the  fields  and  prairies  were  as  brown 
and  dead  as  in  winter.  Then  began  that  re- 
markable exodus  which,  in  seventeen  months, 
reduced  the  population  of  the  Territory  from 
115,000  to  less  than  75,000.  Our  Church  in  its 
organization  was  almost  ruined.  Many  classes 
disappeared  entirely,  while  in  other  cases  only 
mere  skeletons  were  left;  but,  be  it  said  to  the 
honor  of  our  preachers,  that,  with  an  exception 
or  two,  they  all  stood  to  their  posts.  When  one 
of  them  was  asked  why  he  did  not  go,  too,  he  re- 
plied :  ^'Because  I  am  needed  here 
What  It  worse   than    ever   before.      If   the 

Cost 

people  starve,  I  will  starve  with 
them.  It  seems  clear  to  me  that  all  the  heroes 
have  not  gone  down  to  death  on  the  bloody 
battle-field.^'' 

This  graphic  portrayal  of  the  sufferings  which 
came  to  the  pioneers  in  Kansas  will  give  the 
reader  a  faint  conception  of  what  it  cost  our 
missionaries,  and  others,  to  establish  United 
Brethrenism  in  that  section,  and  thus  make  pos- 
sible the  splendid  achievements  which  have  fol- 
lowed. 

The  Civil  War  following  the  famine,  as  is 
well  known,  kept  the  whole  country  in  a  state  of 
unrest  for  several  years.  Kansas  suffered  its 
full  share  of  the  results.     So  it  may  be  said  that 

232 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionm^ies 

the  first  decade  of  tlie  Church's  operations  in  this 
field,  including  Missouri,  was  a  period  of  the 
most  strenuous  effort  accompanied  by  a  devotion 
and  heroism  unsurpassed  in  the  history  of  Amer- 
ican missions. 

Other  men  of  faith  and  valor,  beside  those  al- 
ready named,  like  William  Huffman,  Henry 
Bell,  and  N.  Bixler,  joined  the  forces  of  the  new 
conference  in  the  early  fifties,  and  wrought 
nobly  as  the  heralds  of  truth.  Their  names  not 
only  deserve  mention  here,  but  are  worthy  of  a 
place  among  the  heroes  enumerated  in  the  elev- 
enth chapter  of  Hebrews. 

G.    3f.    HUFF3IAN 

Among  the  early  effective  workers  in  North- 
east Kansas  was  G.  M.  Huffman.  In  1869  he 
was  given  annual  conference  license  by  Bishop 
J.  Markwood,  and  appointed  to  his  first  field 
— NcAV  Lancaster  Circuit.  For  fifteen  years 
his  salary  ranged  from  |125  to 
s«p7o7t  ?2'^^-     He  gave^all  his  time  to  the 

ministry.  During  this  period,  and 
ever  since,  except  five  years,  he  furnished  his 
own  house.  'The  coldest  winter  we  ever  passed 
in  Kansas,"  he  writes,  "we  lived  in  a  house  with 
nothing  but  weather-boarding  between  us  and 
weather  thirtv  deorees  below  zero.  That  was 
our  hard  year,  but  we  had  a  great  revival  during 
the  winter." 

While  Mr.  Huffman's  educational  advantages 
were  limited  to  a  brief  period  in  ''Old  Western," 
he  has  always  been  a  student,  and  so  may  be 

233 


Our  Heroes,  or 

reckoned  a  man  of  learning.  His  main  source  of 
culture,  lie  says,  has  been  the  '^New  York  Inde- 
pendent," which  he  has  read  continually  for 
the  last  thirty-five  years. 

To  his  wife  he  pays  the  following  beautiful 
tribute :  "I  must  give  credit  for  whatever  of  suc- 
cess that  has  come  to  my  ministry  to  the  one 
who  has  for  forty  years  ^halved  my 
A  Tribute  sorrows    and    doubled     my    joys.' 

of  L.ove  J       0    J 

The  zeal  for  the  cause  of  Christ 
which  characterized  her  grandfather,  John  Nei- 
dig,  burns  in  her  heart  to  this  day.  If  I  could 
live  my  life  over  again  I  would  spend  it  in  the 
ministry  without  any  regard  to  the  hardships  it 
might  entail.  My  only  desire  would  be  to  make 
of  myself  a  better  preacher  than  I  have  ever 
been." 

JOHN   R.   MEREDITH 

This  brother,  prominent  for  many  years  in  the 
early  work  of  the  Church  in  Kansas,  had  his  ups 
and  downs,  encouragements  and  discourage- 
ments, with  every  other  preacher  who  was  faith- 
ful to  his  calling,  and  loyal  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  Church  he  loved  and  served. 

At  the  very  threshold  of  his  itinerancy,  Mr. 
Meredith  was  thoroughly  tested.  The  poverty 
among  some  of  the  people  was  appalling.  Being 
unmarried,  he  devoted  all  his  time  to  the  work, 
sharing  with  his  parishioners  the  morsel  they 
had  to  divide.  His  salary  for  the  first  year  was 
only  fifty  dollars.  Out  of  sympathy  for  the 
poor,  he  gave  them  all  his  clothing  except  the 

234 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

suit  he  wore.  In  late  winter  and  early  spring 
his  pony,  for  want  of  grain,  which  could  not  be 
had,  became  too  weak  to  carry  him,  thus  making 
it  necessary  for  him  to  travel  his  large  field  on 
foot. 

A  fact  which  merits  emphasis  here  is  that  the 
laymen  ofttimes  suffered  just  as  much  as  did  the 
ministers,  yet  were  willing  to  divide  the  little 
they  had  with  the  man  of  God  sent  to  preach 
among  them.  The  following  incident  from  Mr. 
Meredith's  own  pen  will  serve  as 
povrrty*"  ***  ^^  illustration :  ''One  evening,  af- 
ter preaching,''  he  says,  "a  brother 
asked  me  home  with  him  for  the  night,  and  the 
invitation  was  cheerfully  accepted.  When  there, 
however,  I  was  puzzled  to  know  how  they  could 
furnish  me  a  place  to  sleep.  The  house  was  a 
little  plank  shack  of  one  room,  and  contained 
only  one  bed.  But  I  finally  dismissed  the  sub- 
ject from  my  mind,  remembering  that  I  was  their 
guest,  and  that  it  was  their  business  to  provide 
accommodations.  After  conversing  pleasantly 
for  an  hour  or  two,  and  some  one  having  sug- 
gested that  it  was  bed-time,  the  good  man  of  the 
house  went  out  and  brought  in  an  armload  of 
dry  prairie  hay  and  threw  it  on  the  floor.  Then 
the  wife,  who  seemed  to  understand  her  part, 
spread  a  clean  sheet  over  it,  tucking  it  carefully 
under  the  hay  on  all  sides,  added  the  needed 
quilts  and  pillows,  and  then  I  was  informed 
that  my  bed  was  ready.  The  rest  it  afforded 
was  greatly  enjoyed,  as  I  was  exceedingly 
weary."     The  generous  souls  who  so  cheerfully 

235 


Our  Heroes^  or 

furnished  the  primitive  accommodations  no 
doubt  were  made  happy  over  the  thought  that 
they  were  entertaining  God's  herald,  and  were 
led  to  serve  the  Church  thereafter  with  a  grow- 
ing love  and  devotion. 

Mr.  Meredith  had  faith.  He  believed  in  that 
Providence  which  is  pledged  to  care  for  the 
saints.  The  element  of  trust  had  been  instilled 
into  his  early  home  life;  yet  he  never  lost  sight 
of  the  thought  that  God  helps  those  most  who 
try  to  help  themselves.  When  stationed  at 
Leavenworth,  he  had  occasion  to  test  most  fully 
the  assurance  of  the  Word.  The  class  was  small 
and  poor.  Fifty  dollars  had  been  appropriated 
by  the  Missionary  Board,  but  that  was  barely 
enough  to  pay  rent.  For  many  weeks  during 
this  year  his  wife  was  dangerously  ill.  Not  be- 
ing able  to  hire  help,  he  had  to  be  nurse  and 
cook,  preacher  and  pastor.  At  last  his  sister- 
in-law  came  to  his  relief,  and  assumed  a  part  of 
his  care.  One  day,  after  the  noon 
Tiie  Wolf  at       meal,  she  informed  him  that  noth- 

the  Door  ' 

ing  was  left  for  supper — not  a 
thing.  He  replied  that  it  was  a  little  strange 
that  everything  should  give  out  at  once.  He  had 
no  money,  and  did  not  want  to  ask  for  credit 
at  the  grocery.  In  the  meantime  he  was  pray- 
ing most  earnestly  for  light  and  help.  Toward 
evening  his  sister-in-law  asked  him  what  he  was 
going  to  do.  He  told  her  he  did  not  know  cer- 
tainly, but  thought  things  would  come  out  all 
right.  Finally,  the  hour  for  prayer-meeting 
came,  and  he  went,  as  usual.    After  the  service 

236 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

he  started  home,  but  was  called  back  by  some 
one.  Upon  returning  he  was  shown  a  large  basket 

filled  with  i^rovisions,  such  as 
came^*"*'        bread,  coffee,  sugar,  butter,  meat, 

and  a  dressed  chicken — the  very 
thing  his  sick  wife  needed.  In  addition,  a  little 
purse  of  four  dollars  was  placed  in  his  hands. 
The  recipient  was  so  overjoyed  that  he  could  not 
express  his  gratitude.  When  he  reached  home 
and  emptied  his  basket  his  sister-in-law  threw 
up  her  hands  in  amazement  and  shouted,  "Rob 
Meredith,  where  on  earth  did  you  get  all  that?" 
The  reply  was,  "The  Lord  gave  it  to  me."  Re- 
ferring to  the  matter  long  afterwards,  he  said, 
"I  believed  it  then,  and  I  believe  it  now — the 
Lord  gave  it  to  me." 

At  another  time,  while  in  Leavenworth,  they 
were  reduced  to  corn  bread  and  water,  but  a  good 
Providence  sent  relief,  thus  verifying  the  prom- 
ise, "But  my  God  shall  supply  all  your  need  ac- 
cording to  his  riches  in  glory  by  Christ  Jesus." 


23' 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

OtJier  Kansas  Pioneers. 

J.  R.  Evans,  a  crusader  of  the  Illinois  Confer- 
ence, was  among  the  early  United  Brethren  who 
chose  southeast  Kansas  as  his  field,  and  gave  it 
many  years  of  his  mature  life.  His  memory  is 
precious  to  all  who  knew  him.  Unremitting  in 
toil,  unswerving  in  purpose,  and  unfaltering  in 
faith,  he  had  a  large  part  in  laying  the  founda- 
tions of  his  Church,  and  in  preaching  the  gospel 
to  all  the  people  in  the  parts  where  he  spent  his 
last  days. 

Owing  to  the  long  distances  he  had  to  travel, 
together  with  the  excessive  labor  thrust  upon 
him,  he  was  kept  away  from  home  almost  con- 
stantly. Once,  after  an  absence  of 
but'ilittie  *^^  weeks,  he  remained  with  his 

family  only  one  night,  and  his  de- 
voted wife  spent  all  that  night  washing  and  dry- 
ing his  clothes,  that  he  might  be  able  to  get  away 
early  the  next  morning. 

As  -a  presiding  elder  he  was  strong,  heroic, 
wise,  and  fatherly.  During  an  exceedingly  dry 
year  lie  traveled  continuously  among  the 
churches  to  encourage  them,  and  to  aid  and 
comfort  the  poor  itinerants  who,  like  himself, 
had  been  reduced  to  the  point  of  suffering.    But 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

great  revivals  resulted  from  his  visits  through- 
out the  district,  which  reached  far  to  the  West. 
The  people  were  in  a  mood  to  hear  and  heed  the 
messages  of  God,  and  by  hundreds  turned  their 
faces  toward  the  ^^better  country,"  and  decided 
to  lay  up  for  themselves  treasures  beyond  the 
reach  of  famine  and  death.  What  had  not  been 
dried  up  by  the  scorching  sun  was  destroyed  by 
grasshoppers,  which  were  gradually  moving  east- 
ward, like  a  great  army,  in  quest  of  food. 

The  Osage  Conference,  which  had  been  organ- 
ized in  1870,  met  this  year  (1874:)  at  Greeley, 
Kansas;  and  while  Bishop  Glossbrenner  was 
reading  the  appointments  the  grasshoppers  be- 
gan to  light  about  the  church,  and  by  the  time 
rp,,^  the    congregation    was    dismissed. 

Grasshopper  the  sfrouud  was  literallv  covered 
Invasion  with    them,    and    devastation    fol- 

lowed in  their  wake  as  they  swept  on  toward  the 
Missouri  line.  When  the  good  Bishop  saw  the 
poverty  and  hardships  that  awaited  his  devoted 
pastors  and  missionaries,  he  wept  like  a  child, 
and  tried  to  encourage  them  with  the  assurance 
of  help  from  the  Church  in  the  East.  Later, 
several  hundred  dollars  were  raised  through  his 
efforts,  and  sent  to  their  relief.  One  remarkable 
thing  about  this  conference  session  was  that 
every  preacher  was  returned  to  the  field  he  had 
served  the  previous  year,  and  not  a  man  among 
them  flinched  in  the  presence  of  the  certain 
hardships  which  stared  him  in  the  face.  Strong 
men  were  seen  to  weep  as  they  looked  upon  their 
dependent  ones.     They  were  content  to  go  hun- 

239 


Our  Heroes,  or 

grj  themselves,  but  could  not  stand  it  to  hear 
their  children  cry  for  bread. 

In  the  midst  of  the  awful  famine,  which  ap- 
pealed so  powerfully  for  outside  help,  Mrs. 
Susan  Cardwell,  wife  of  William  A.  Card- 
well,  mentioned  at  length  in  another  chapter, 
wrote  a  letter  to  Mrs.  President 
preridUt  Grant,  with  whom  she  had  become 

acquainted  during  war  times,  and 
told  her  about  the  excessive  sufferings  of  the 
people  in  Kansas  on  account  of  the  grasshopper 
invasion.  She  assured  the  lady  of  the  White 
House  that,  though  her  husband  was  a  minister, 
he  did  not  need  help,  but  plead  most  earnestly 
and  tenderly  that  the  President,  or  some  one  else 
in  authority,  might  be  enlisted  in  the  interest 
of  the  helpless  sufferers  about  her.  The  appeal 
so  impressed  the  President  that  he  immediately 
took  steps  to  relieve  the  distressing  situation, 
and  the  Secretary  of  War  kindly  answered  the 
letter,  assuring  the  good  woman  that  her  request 
had  been  granted,  and  that  supplies  w^ould  be 
forwarded  at  once  from  St.  Louis.  This  caused 
many  to  rejoice,  and  to  pour  out  their  hearts  in 
thanksgiving  to  God. 

Mr.  Evans,  like  the  general  he  was,  stood  in 
the  front  ranks  among  his  noble  fellow-toilers, 
and  sounded  the  note  of  victory  from  one  end  of 
the  line  to  the  other.  Once  he  rode  eighty  miles 
to  attend  a  quarterly  meeting,  and  received  only 
seventy-five  cents  for  his  services.  Sometimes  the 
life  of  a  good  man  means  as  much,  or  more,  than 
his  words.    So  it  proved  in  his  case,  at  least  with 

240 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

one  soul.     Mr.  George  Gay,  in  his  travels  one 

day,  came  upon  an  eniigTant  family.    In  talking 

with  them  he  found  that  the  wife 

The  Power         .^^^^^  uiotlier  was  a  United  Breth- 

of  Example 

ren,  and  got  from  her  the  story  of 
her  conversion.  She  said  she  had  never  heard, 
or  spoken  to  the  man  who  was  the  means  of  her 
salvation.  When  living  in  another  part  of  the 
country,  she  looked  out  from  her  window  one 
cold,  stormy  day,  when  it  seemed  too  aAvful  for 
any  one  to  be  out,  and  saw  an  old  man  trudging 
along  through  the  drifted  snow.  She  did  not 
have  any  idea  who  it  was,  but  remarked  that 
somebody  must  be  sick,  or  dead,  as  nothing  else 
would  induce  a  man  to  run  the  risk  of  freezing. 
A  neighbor,  who  happened  to  be  present,  then 
looked  out,  and  recognizing  the  lone  traveler 
said,  "Why,  that's  Mr.  Evans,  the  old  preacher, 
on  his  way  to  fill  his  appointments."  "What!'' 
exclaimed  the  woman,  "that  poor,  old  man  fac- 
ing all  this  storm  for  the  sake  of  sinners,  and  I 
unsaved!"  So  the  Holy  Spirit  that  day  blessed 
the  faithfulness  of  his  servant  to  the  saving  of 
a  sinner. 

The  last  full  year  the  old  hero  ever  spent  on 
a  circuit  he  witnessed  over  a  hundred  conver- 
sions, and  received  as  many  into  the  Church. 

His  end  was  triumphant.  Having 
En^****^*^"*         preached  fifty-eight  years,  he  was  a 

ripe  sheaf  for  the  heavenly  garner. 
When  a  friend  asked  him  how  he  felt,  he  replied, 
"All  these  years  I  have  been  living  for  this  hour, 
and  it  is   all   right   now."      How   much   richer 

241 


Our  Heroes,  or 

heaven  must  have  been  in  moral  worth  the  day 
the  conqueror  reached  home. 

To  his  loved  ones  he  did  not  leave  that  doubt- 
ful blessing — a  large  fortune,  but  he  left  that 
priceless  heritage  which  money  cannot  buy — a 
name  without  a  stain,  a  reputation  without  a 
blemish. 

J.   R,    CHAMBERS 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  know  that  a  few  of  the 
Church  pioneers  who  took  part  in  opening  up  the 
work  in  some  portions  of  Kansas  and  in  other 
western  States  still  remain,  and  can  give,  by 
word  or  pen,  their  own  experience  back  in  the 
days  when  it  meant  so  much  to  be  an  itinerant. 
Among  these  is  J.  R.  Chambers,  a  member 
of  Neosho  Conference.  Soon  after  returning 
home  from  the  Civil  War,  in  which  he  had 
served,  he  entered  another  army  under  the  ban- 
ner of  the  Cross,  and  gave  himself  thereafter  to 
the  ministry  of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 
His  lot  was  the  same  as  that  of  his  comrades  in 
service  when  the  country  was  comparatively 
new,  and  the  crop  failures,  for  one  reason  or 
another,  were  so  frequent  and  disastrous.  He 
tells  us  that  the  wolf  came  so  near 
A  Suffering        j^-    ^        ^  tlmcs  that  uothlug  was 

Family  * 

left  on  which  to  subsist  but  bread 
and  home-made  coffee.  As  the  children  did  not 
like  the  coffee,  they  had  to  be  content  with  bread 
alone. 

He  preached  at  one  point  all  year,  and  at 
three  others  for  three  months,  and,  all  told,  re- 

242 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

ceived  only  $3.75.     Many  times  he  would  walk 
twenty-five  miles  on   Saturday,  preach  at  ten- 
thirty    on    Sabbath,    walk    twelve 
orcuit^**  miles  to   another  place  and  hold 

service  at  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, preach  again  at  night,  and  then  walk 
home,  twenty-five  miles,  on  Monday,  where  he 
put  in  the  next  four  days  trying  to  provide  for 
his  dependent  family.  When  presiding  elder  he 
was  often  absent  eight  weeks  at  a  time,  while  his 
devoted  helper  in  the  Lord,  and  the  little  ones, 
were  a  mile  distant  from  the  nearest  neighbor. 
Others  suffered  in  like  manner,  but  not  being 
here  to  tell  the  story  themselves,  and  having  left 
no  written  record  behind,  we  shall  never  know 
to  what  extent  they  served  and  endured  until 
the  "books  are  opened"  at  the  last  great  day,  and 
their  works  are  made  manifest  in  the  white  light 
of  the  throne. 

R.  W.  PARKS 

While  the  Church  operated  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  Territory  as  early  as  the  fifties,  it  could 
move  westward  only  as  the  tide  of  emigration 
rolled  that  way,  hence  the  process  was  slow. 
When  it  is  remembered  that  Kansas  is  four  hun- 
dred miles  long,  east  and  west,  it  will  be  seen 
that  time  was  required  to  build  up  settlements 
even  half  way  across  this  great  stretch  of  coun- 
try. But  as  communities  sprang  up  our  preach- 
ers, as  a  rule,  were  on  the  ground  to  look  after 
their  spiritual  needs,  and  to  care  for  the  sheep 
of  our  own  fold.     It  is  to  be  regretted  that  in 

243 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

later  years,  when  the  population  increased  so 
rapidly,  we  were  unable,  as  a  Church,  to  meet 
the  demands  made  upon  us. 

Early  in  1871,  R.  W.  Parks,  of  the  Cen- 
tral Illinois  Conference,  moved  into  the  Arkan- 
First  in  ®^^  valley,  and  was  the  first  United 

Arkansas  Brethren  to  lift  the  banners  of  his 

Valley  Church   lu   all   that   country.      In 

fact,  no  services,  so  far  as  he  could  ascertain, 
were  held  by  any  church  in  the  valley,  except 
in  the  village  of  Wichita,  and  there  only  occa- 
sionally. While  there  were  not  many  people  to 
be  gotten  together  in  any  neighborhood,  Mr. 
Parks  at  once  recognized  their  needs,  and  began 
to  plan  appointments  over  as  much  territory  as 
he  could  possibly  cover.  In  May  of  this  year  he 
organized  the  first  class,  called  Pleasant  Valley, 
some  fifteen  miles  from  Wichita,  in  what  is  now 
known  as  Southwest  Kansas  Conference.  The 
charter  members  were  E.  H.  Clark  and  wife,  F. 
M.  Dick  and  wife,  and  R.  W.  Parks  and  wife. 
The  next  March  he  held  a  revival  here,  which 
added  sixteen  to  the  little  organization. 
This  was  the  first  revival  held  by  any  of  our 
preachers  in  the  valley.  At  this  time  he  did  not 
know  of  a  United  Brethren  minister  nearer  than 
a  hundred  miles.  A  lone  servant  he  was,  far 
away  from  kindred  and  friends,  riding  across 
bleak  prairies,  at  times  through  blinding  snoAV- 
storms,  not  knowing  whither  to  turn  for  food  or 
shelter,  that  he  nuglit  minister  to  perishing  souls, 
and  plant  firmly  the  standard  of  his  beloved 
Zi(m. 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

His  wife's  people  in  Oliio  were  anxious  to  have 
her  come  home,  and  offered  to  defray  all  ex- 
penses; but  she  said:  ^^No,  I  Avill  not  do  that. 
Let  them  send  me  the  money  to  live  on  and  I 
will  stay  here  in  the  work."     And  so  she  did. 

When  the  Osage  Conference  met  in  the  fall  of 
1872,  Mr.  Parks  requested,  by  letter,  that  a  pre- 
siding elder  be  sent  to  the  field  he  had  under- 
taken to  cultivate,  for  the  purpose  of  organ- 
ing  a  mission.  Accordingly,  D. 
oplned^^*""  Wenrich  visited  him  shortly  there- 
after, organized  his  appointments 
into  a  mission,  and  called  it  "Little  River." 
The  next  vear  he  and  another  brother  drove 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  conference  in 
a  covered  wagon,  camping  along  the  w^ay 
wherever  night  overtook  them.  Returning 
home,  he  started  afoot  to  the  field  assigned  him, 
aftj  miles  distant,  not, knowing  that  he  would 
get  a  dollar  for  the  year's  toil  except  what  the 
Board  and  eastern  friends  might  furnish.  This 
was  the  drouth  and  grasshopper  period,  when 
every  particle  of  vegetation  in  all  that  country 
was  destroyed.  The  people  and  preachers  suf- 
fered greatly,  but,  as  has  been  noted  else\\^here, 
aid  came  from  outside  sources  in  time  to  relieve 
their  distress,  and  to  help  them  along  until  an- 
other harvest  could  be  gathered. 

When  the  Arkansas  Valley,  now  Southwest 
Kansas,  Conference  was  organized,  in  1881,  Mr. 
Parks  was  one  of  its  charter  members,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  work  for  many  ye^rs.  Like  nearly 
all  the  other  preachers  of  his  day  in  central  Kan- 

245 


Our  Heroes,  or 

sas,  he  had  to  provide  for  his  family  in  part  by 
locating  them  where  they  could  till  the  soil,  or 
otherwise  secure  employment.  Though  he  was 
influential  and  successful  as  a  pioneer,  and  was 
respected  wherever  he  went  for  his  ability  and 
untiring  efforts,  his  salary  only  averaged  about 
$200  a  year  through  all  the  period  of  his  active 
service.  At  this  time  he  is  living  at  Toronto, 
Kansas,  ripe  in  years,  rich  in  experience,  strong 
in  faith,  and  joyous  in  hope. 

It  is  proper  in  this  connection  to  refer  again 
to  Mr.  George  Gay,  who  was  Mr.  Parks'  associ- 
ate on  the  frontier  for  many  years.  Though  mod- 
est and  retiring  in  disposition,  his  courage  was 
lion-like.  Through  heat  and  cold,  through  rain 
and  storm,  he  continued  in  his  chosen  work.  He 
might  have  been  seen  week  by  week  driving  a 
farm  wagon  across  prairies  or  up  and  down  the 
Walnut  Valley.  He  carried  with 
Carried  j^jj^^   ^  mcss-chest,   provisioued  at 

Provisions  '     ^ 

home,  and  slept  m  or  under  his 
wagon  on  the  banks  of  the  Antelope,  or  wherever 
he  chanced  to  be  when  darkness  came  on. 

When  compelled  to  cease  his  itineraries  be- 
cause of  old  age,  he  set  about  to  make  permanent 
the  work  in  his  own  community,  and  so  remained 
true  till  death  to  the  vows  of  his  early  ministry. 
Being  a  United  Brethren  by  birth,  tastes,  in- 
tuitions, and  aspirations  to  manliness  of  char- 
acter and  usefulness  of  life,  he  illustrated 
through  his  entire  career  those  lofty  traits  typ- 
ical of  the  Church's  noblest  sons. 


246 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

p.    p.    SMITH 

Among  the  preachers  who  entered  the  work  in 
central  southern  Kansas  a  third  of  a  century 
ago,  none,  perhaps,  was  more  faithful  and  self- 
sacrificing  than  F.  P.  Smith.  The  first  confer- 
ence he  attended,  the  Osage,  was  held  in  1875. 
The  next  year  he  became  a  member,  and  there- 
after was  identified  with  every  interest  of  his 
chosen  field.  He  was  one  of  the  twenty  min- 
isters who  entered  into  the  organization  of  Ar- 
kansas Valley  Conference.  The  newness  of  the 
country,  the  poverty  of  the  people,  and  the  dif- 
ficulty of  the  work  in  general,  created  conditions 
which  thoroughly  tested  the  mettle  of  every  man 
who  went  to  the  front. 

From  1871  to  1881,  eighteen  charges  had  been 
formed  in  this  new  territory,  showing  how  rap- 
idly United  Brethrenism  had  taken  root  in  the 
virgin  soil  of  Kansas. 

A  glance  at  the  minutes  of  the  earlier  sessions 
of  the  conference  will  reveal  some- 
o^nstll  thing  of  the  real  sacrifices  made  by 

its  loyal  representatives.  One  of 
the  presiding  elders  says :  "I  traveled  during  the 
year,  4,402  miles.  Salary,  |268.78.  Traveling 
expenses  |71.04,  leaving  a  balance  of  |197.74." 
The  other  elder  received,  above  expenses,  $225. 
The  next  year  one  of  these  men  reported  |400 
salary,  less  |100.04  expenses.  Two  hundred  serv- 
ices were  held,  and  five  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  fifty-five  miles  traveled.  The  other  received 
1375.50,  and  preached  three  hundred  and  four- 
teen sermons.    Of  course,  from  this  pittance  all 

247 


Our  Heroes,  or 

expenses  had  to  be  met.  And  be  it  said  to  the 
honor  of  these  heroes  that  they  gave  all  their 
time  to  the  work.  The  records  show  that  as  late 
as  1887  the  average  salary  was  only  |152.11.  Mr. 
Smith's  first  charge  was  Sheridan  Mission,  which 
paid  him  nine  dollars  in  addition  to  the  twenty 
dollars  appropriated  by  the  conference. 

At  one  of  the  conferences  Bishop  Kephart, 
after  listening  to  a  number  of  reports,  said: 
"Brethren,  how  do  you  get  along? 
wvTd^''*'''  What  do  you  live  on?"     Instantly 

one  of  the  men,  noted  for  his  wit 
and  directness,  replied,  "Live  on?  Why,  Bishop, 
we  live  on  sand  and  scenery." 

At  the  session  of  the  Southwest  Kansas  Con- 
ference held  in  Wichita,  in  August,  1907,  Mr. 
Smith  read  a  paper  on  the  history  of  the  Church 
in  the  Arkansas  Valley,  giving  some  interesting 
personal  reminiscences,  which  we  here  subjoin : 

"The  hapi)iest  days  of  my  life  were  spent  at 
the  front  with  saber  flashing  in  the  sunlight, 
with  cannon  booming  in  the  distance,  and  with 
musket  rattling  on  every  hand.  Yes,  at  the 
front,  where  the  battle  is  warmest,  is  the  grand- 
est place  of  all.  At  the  front  with 
Happy  wife  and  little  children,  with  ap- 

pointments thirty-five  miles  apart, 
and  living  for  weeks  at  a  stretch  on  corn  bread 
and  water.  But  what  of  it?  it  was  the  best  bread 
I  ever  tasted,  and  the  Avater  was  the  purest  and 
the  most  delicious  I  ever  drank.  When  we  got 
tired  of  sod  houses  within,  and  of  the  howling  of 
T\dnd  and  wolves  without,  we  did  not  hurry  back 

248 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

to  some  of  the  stronger  charges  to  find  a  hearth- 
stone already  warmed,  but  proceeded  to  build 
churches  of  our  own. 

^^While  in  the  West  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  care  for 
an  annual  conference,  which  proved  quite  a  task. 
No  one  was  expected  to  pay  for  his  meals.  I  was 
getting  along  nicely  providing  homes,  but  then, 
as  now,  the  pastor  was  expected  to  do  his  share 
of  entertaining.  At  this  time  we  were  poor,  and 
had  no  money.  There  were  no  gro- 
cares  for  cerlcs  of  auv  kind  in  the  house.    A 

a  Conference  "^ 

bit  of  meat  and  a  very  little  flour 
constituted  our  supply.  Wife  was  worrying  a 
good  deal.  In  fact.  I  was,  too,  on  the  sly,  but  I 
kept  humming  the  chorus,  ^I'm  the  child  of  a 
King.'  Then  I  Avould  say  to  wife,  'Be  quiet, 
dear,  God  is  our  Father.'  The  conference  was  to 
meet  on  Thursday.  About  noon  Tuesday  a 
young  man  came  to  our  door  with  a  beautiful 
young  lady  and  inquired,  'Is  this  where  the  min- 
ister lives?'  You  can  guess  what  he  wanted. 
After  the  marriage  ceremony  he  put  a  ten-dollar 
gold  piece  in  my  hand,  and  then  bade  us  good-by. 
When  I  looked  around,  wife  was  crying.  I  said 
to  her,  'Dry  your  tears;  here  are  the  groceries 
for  conference.'  I  thought  then,  and  think  now 
that  the  Lord  sent  that  young  couple  to  the  par- 
sonage just  to  help  us. 

"While  in  that  short-grass  country  I  got  in 
debt  |20,  and  some  how  could  not  get  out.  The 
firm  I  owed  kept  dunning  me  for  the  money  until 
I  was  in  distress.  I  tried  to  explain,  but  they 
failed  to  understand  my  situation.     One  day, 

249 


Our  Heroes,  or 

upon  going  to  the  post-office,  I  received  two  let- 
ters. The  first  one  I  opened  was  from  my  cred- 
itors, and  was  full  of  criticism  and  insinuations. 
It  questioned  my  honesty  and  right  to  preach. 

It  was  a  sad  moment.  Finally,  I 
In  Debt  opened  the  other  letter,  and,  to  my 

utter  amazement,  it  contained  a 
|20-draft  from  Brother  John  Dodds,  of  Dayton, 
Ohio.  I  can  never  describe  my  gratitude  and 
feelings  of  joy  at  that  moment.  I  had  never  seen 
Brother  Dodds,  nor  even  communicated  with 
him.  Many  years  afterward  I  met  him  at  a 
General  Conference,  and  told  him  all  about  it. 
With  tears  he  said,  ^Never  mind,  dear  brother,  I 
have  been  doing  this  kind  of  work  for  a  long 
time.' " 

On  one  occasion,  Mr.  Smith  says,  his  presiding 
elder  visited  him  when  all  they  had  to  set  before 
him  was  corn  bread  and  water.  After  the  frugal 
meal,  they  bowed  in  prayer  around  the  table, 
while  the  elder  poured  out  his  heart  to  the 
Father  of  mercies  in  prayer.    It  was  an  hour  of 

precious  fellowship.  About  this 
^  ^**  time   this    same   elder   wrote   Mr. 

liCtter 

Smith,  saying,  "Only  God  and  the 
good  angels  know  what  my  family  is  suffering 
for  the  sake  of  the  Church."  How  blessed  the 
thought  that  God  did  know  all  about  it. 

Years  ago  this  dear  soul  who  wrote  so  tenderly 
of  his  family,  quit  the  cross  for  a  crown,  and  en- 
tered upon  his  long-sought  rest.  Surely  the  Mas- 
ter will  accord  such  heroes  a  place  very  near  him- 
self in  glory. 

250 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Among  the  charter  members  of  this  conference 
was  J.  H.  Snyder,  one  of  the  West's  strongest 
men,  and  secretary  of  the  General  Conference 
since  1885. 

C.   U.    McKEE 

The  first  United  Brethren  preacher  to  settle 
within  the  bounds  of  what  now  constitutes 
Northwest  Kansas  Conference  was  C.  U. 
McKee,  formerly  an  itinerant  in  the  old  East 
Des  Moines  Conference.  He  pitched  his  tent  in 
Mitchell  County,  near  Beloit,  in  1873.  At  this 
time  we  had  no  class  organizations  in  the 
county,  nor  anywhere  else  westward  in  the 
State.  Soon,  how^ever,  he  began  to  make  ap- 
pointments where  enough  people  could  be  gotten 
together  to  have  preaching,  and,  as  the  result, 
societies  were  formed  at  various  points,  which 
afterwards  developed  into  centers  around  which 
strong  charges  were  built. 

In  1878,  he  erected  the  first  United  Brethren 

house  of  worship  in  his  country,  and  now  the 

oldest  church  edifice  in  the  confer- 

Buiit  First         ence.    For  his  first  six  years'  work 

Church-House  *^ 

he  received  in  salary  $150.  This 
meant,  of  course,  that  he  had  to  labor  with  his 
hands  between  Sundays,  as  did  nearly  all  the 
pioneers.  The  truth  is,  we  would  have  but  little 
in  the  West  to-day  if  the  early  preachers  had  not 
so  toiled. 

In  1879,  the  Northwest  Kansas  Conference 
was  set  off  to  itself,  with  twenty-three  ministers 
and  thirteen  charges.     McKee  was  made  secre- 

251 


Our  Heroes^  or 

tary,  and  served  in  this  capacity  for  several 
years  thereafter.  He  also  traveled  as  presiding 
elder  nearly  a  score  of  years.  He  knew,  as  did  but 
few  others,  what  the  pastors  in  those  early  days 
of  the  conference  had  to  undergo, 
Frontier  ^^^    writes    uiost    tenderly    about 

Hardships  ^ 

them.  "The  hardships  of  these  men 
of  God,"  he  says,  "were  such  as  frontiersmen  al- 
ways have  to  suffer — exposure,  scarcity  of  food 
and  clothing,  extensive  travel,  hard  work,  heat 
and  cold,  drouth  and  flood.  Their  families 
shared  all  these  trials  in  a  noble  spirit  of  self- 
sacrifice.  In  view  of  the  little  support  received, 
God  only  knows  how  they  managed  to  live  and 
get  along.  But  they  did  live  and  labored  on  ^as 
seeing  Him  who  is  invisible,'  and  wrought  glo- 
riously for  the  Church." 

It  would  be  a  pleasure  to  mention,  in  this  con- 
nection, the  other  tAventy-two  brave  men  Avho  en- 
tered the  conference  as  charter  members  with 
Mr.  McKee,  but  lack  of  space  forbids.  Suffice  it 
to  say  that  they  were  faithful  to  every  trust  im- 
posed, and  suffered  much  for  the  Church's  sake, 
"that  tliey  might  obtain  a  better  resurrection." 

That  the  reader  who  is  unacquainted  with 
frontier  life  may  get  a  glimpse  of  what  it  means, 
we  give  the  following  somewhat  amusing  inci- 
dent: E.  Shepherd,  of  this  con- 
A  Pioneer  fereuce,  who  was  elected  presiding 

Ineident  ^  . 

elder  at  its  first  session,  was 
preaching  one  Sunday  in  a  "dugout."  Because 
of  the  elder's  presence,  the  little  room,  probably 
sixteen  by  twenty  feet  in  size,  was  crowded  with 

252 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

anxious,  earnest  listeners.  Right  in  the  midst 
of  the  service,  a  horse  hitched  outside  took 
fright,  and  suddenly  sprang  upon  the  roof  of 
the  dirt  house,  which  was  not  sufficiently  strong 
to  bear  him  up.  It  is  easy  to  imagine  the  sur- 
prise and  consternation  of  the  worshipers,  in- 
cluding the  preacher,  wlien  the  animars  legs 
came  crashing  through  between  the  poles  used 
to  support  the  sod  covering.  A  stampede  fol- 
lowed, which,  of  course,  broke  up  the  meeting, 
and  the  men  hastened  to  rescue  the  horse  from 
his  suspended  position.  Such  were  the  places  in 
which  quarterly  meetings  were  held. 

Northwest  Kansas  is  one  of  the  most  vigorous 
conferences  in  the  West,  and  is  manned  by  pas- 
tors who  give  themselves,  without  reserve,  to  its 

work.    At  the  close  of  the  first  year 
^"^y  the   conference   had    increased   its 

membership  from  752  to  1,389.  The 
thirteen  pastors,  however,  received  in  the  aggre- 
gate only  11,450.48,  or  an  average,  each,  of 
$111.58.  The  highest  salary,  |190,  was  received 
by  J.  H.  Bloyed  on  Lawrence  Creek  Circuit. 
Next  came  J.  J.  Burch,  on  Wolf  Creek,  Avith 
|185.  A.  S.  Poulson  ranked  third,  reporting 
1175.58  from  Salem,  while  J.  McMillen  stood 
fourth,  V,  ith  f  160.50  from  White  Rock.  But  the 
workers  of  to-day  are  faring  better.  ^'One  sow- 
eth  and  another  reapeth."  This  is  the  divine 
law,  and  holds  good  in  the  churcli  as  well  as  in 
nature.  It  has  been  decreed  that  "both  he  that 
soweth  and  he  that  reapetli  shall  rejoice  to- 
gether'' in  the  final  gathering  of  the  harvest. 

253 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Pioneers  in  Colorado, 

E.  J.  Lamb,  who  became  prominent  in  the 
earlj  work  of  the  Church  in  Nebraska  and  Colo- 
rado, was  born  in  Indiana,  January  1,  1832.  In 
1842  his  parents  moved  to  Iowa,  and  fifteen 
years  later  the  young  man,  with  thirty-five 
others,  landed  in  eastern  Kansas.  Here  he  re- 
mained for  nine  years,  when  he  located  in  Saline 
County,  Nebraska.  Two  years  later  he  decided 
upon  the  ministry  as  his  life  work,  and  began  to 
preach  on  the  frontiers  of  Nebraska  and  Kansas. 

Those  were  trying  days.  The  battle  for  bread 
and  raiment  with  the  new  settlers  was  fierce  and 
long.  Mr.  Lamb  was  fully  awake  to  the  situ- 
ation, and  understood  well  what  an 
Trying  itinerant's  life  would  mean  to  him. 

Days 

He  says:  "We  preached  in  dwell- 
ing-houses, many  of  them  constructed  of  sod,  and 
sometimes  in  dugouts.  Occasionally,  the  luxury 
of  a  fairly  good  schoolhouse  was  offered  for  serv- 
ices. We  succeeded  in  organizing  a  number  of 
classes  on  Little  Blue,  Turkey  Creek,  and  the 
West  Blue.  It  was  not  all  sunshine,  however, 
with  us.  The  red  skins  annoyed  us  a  good  deal. 
The  Omaha  and  Pawnee  tribes  had  to  pass 
through  our  sparsely-settled  neighborhood  in 
going  to  and  from  their  hunting-ground  farther 

254 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

west.     They   would   both   beg  and   steal   when 
camping  near  us.    Farther  on  we  had  more  seri- 
ous trouble  with  them.     They  be- 
indian  cauie  exasperated  over  what  they 

Cruelties  .  ^^  ^  '^^ 

considered  an  encroachment  of 
their  rightful  domain — their  buffalo  hunting- 
grounds — by  the  whites,  and  determined  to  drive 
the  settlers  out  of  the  country.  A  large  body  of 
the  Sioux  swept  down  the  Little  Blue  River,  kill- 
ing many  settlers  and  stealing  a  large  number 
of  horses  and  cattle.  They  came  close  to  our 
neighborhood  and  massacred  a  number  on  Big 
Sandy.  I  was  called  upon  to  preach  the  funeral 
of  some  who  were  murdered  in  their  harvest- 
fields.  A  Mrs.  Eubanks  and  a  Miss  Laura  Roper 
were  taken  prisoners;  also  two  children,  Avho 
were  tomahawked  on  account  of  their  crying 
from  fright. 

"A  number  of  us,  one  hundred  or  more,  went 
to  the  front  under  Governor  Butler's  orders  to 
guard  the  borders.  We  moved  our  families  to 
Big  Blue  River,  and  there  threw  up  a  sod  em- 
bankment for  a  breastwork  of  protection  in  case 
the  Indians  should  venture  that  far  east." 

This  indicates  something  of  the  actual  dangers 
which  confronted  the  early  ministers  in  their 
work  in  the  Northwest.  Later,  we  will  have  oc- 
casion again  to  refer  to  the  Indian  uprising  in 
this  section,  and  to  the  cruel  killing  of  one  of 
our  ministers. 

In  the  spring  of  1870,  Mr.  Lamb,  with  W.  J. 
Caldwell,  and  a  layman,  John  Elliott,  traveled 
two  hundred  miles  to  attend  an  annual  confer- 

255 


Our  EeroeSy  or 

ence  held  at  Lecompton,  Kansas,  when  he  was 
ordained  by  Bishop  Dickson.    During  the  follow- 
ing winter,  while  in  a  great  revival. 
Goes  to  ^  letter  was  received  bv  him  from 

Colorado  .^      ^^      _,^ .    _  .  t.^.      "1  oi 

D.  K.  Flickmger,  Missionary  Sec- 
retary, saying:  ^The  Board  has  this  day  de- 
cided that  you  go  to  Colorado  and  join  Rev.  St. 
Clair  Ross  in  missionary  effort  for  the  upbuild- 
ing of  our  cause  in  Christ's  name,  and  for  the 
glory  of  God  in  those  far-off  mountains  and 
vales.''  With  this  order  came  a  draft  for  |200, 
which  indicated  the  Board's  faith  in  him  and  the 
territory  to  which  he  was  being  directed. 

May  25,  1871,  he  bade  his  wife  and  little  ones 
good-by,  and  started.  It  required  a  horseback 
ride  of  three  days  to  reach  the  nearest  railroad 
station — Junction  City,  Kansas.  He  felt  sad 
over  the  parting.  He  says :  ^^For  a  short  time  I 
experienced  a  feeling  of  loneliness.  Home  and 
a  loving  wife  and  children  are  a  blessing  to  be 
appreciated,  and  the  separation  seems  to  intensi- 
fy that  home  feeling.  But  self-denials  must  be 
endured,  and  trials  overcome  in  order  to  final 
triumph." 

Reaching  Denver,  he  w^alked  twelve  miles 
down  the  Platte  River  to  the  home  of  Mr. 
Ross.  The  year  was  spent  in  preaching,  pros- 
pecting, organizing,  and  such  other 
Builds  First  work  as  usually  falls  to  a  frontiers- 
man.  He  built  the  first  United 
Brethren  church  in  Colorado,  eleven  miles  below 
Denver,  near  the  Platte  River,  assisted  by 
Mr.   Charlton,  a  local  preacher.     He  not  only 

256 


J.  Kenoyer 


Mrs.  J.  Kenoyer 


Wm.  R.  Course V 


WiLI.IAM    DaUGIIKRTV 


•Mrs.  William  Daughehtv 


Daniel,  Shuck 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

superintended  the  work,  but  labored  with  his 
own  hands  for  days  and  weeks.  They  erected  a 
tent  near  by,  where  they  ate  and  slept  while  thus 
engaged. 

In  his  autobiography  he  describes  most  vividly 
his  experiences  this  year.  Sometimes  he  was 
greatly  encouraged ;  at  other  seasons  he  had  his  . 
misgivings.  Some  blessed  and  helped  him; 
others  opposed  and  hindered  his  work.  On  one 
occasion  he  was  even  shot  at  by  a  hidden  foe.  In 
earlv  fall  he  visited  Estes  Park,  far  back  in  the 
mountains.  Before  returning,  a  lady  friend  in- 
sisted upon  his  taking  her  revolver  Avith  him,  de- 
claring that  he  did  not  know  what  emergency 
might  arise  for  its  use.  On  the  way  back  to  fill 
his  appointments,  some  thirty  or  forty  miles  dis- 
tant, as  he  was  winding  his  way  around  the 
banks  of  the  St.  Vrain,  to  avoid 
Attacked  by       wadiuff  the  stream,  he  came  upon 

Mountain  Lion  *^ 

an  open  piece  of  ground  where 
grew  some  currant  bushes  covered  with  ripe  ber- 
ries. Pausing  a  few  moments  to  sample  them, 
he  was  suddenly  surprised  and  alarmed  at  the 
appearance  of  a  huge  mountain  lioness  only  a 
few  rods  distant.  Evidently  she  had  whelps 
nearby,  and  had  come  to  their  rescue.  Before 
he  could  get  his  revolver  in  hand  the  angry  beast 
Avas  almost  close  enough  to  leap  upon  him.  Fi- 
nally, he  let  driA'e  at  her.  The  big  pistol  sounded 
like  a  cannon  in  the  stillness  of  the  mountains. 
With  a  snarl,  and  a  bound  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection, she  disappeared  in  the  bushes.  More 
than    likely    the    bullet    took    effect,    but    the 

257 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

preacher  did  not  tairry  to  investigate.  He  was 
only  too  willing  to  part  company  with  his  newly- 
found  foe,  and  with  a  crescendo  movement  scur- 
ried onward  toward  a  safe  retreat.  In  referring 
to  the  exciting  experience  afterwards  he  re- 
marked that  had  it  not  been  for  the  gun  his  lady 
friend  gave  him,  the  scriptural  prophecy  of  the 
lion  and  lamb  lying  down  together  would  cer- 
tainly have  been  fulfilled. 

At  the  end  of  a  thirty-mile  journey,  he  lodged 
at  a  ranch-house,  and  rested  on  the  floor  on  some 
old  quilts.  The  next  morning  he  was  out  be- 
times, and  trudging  along  toward  his  Sunday 
preaching-places. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  proper  to  speak 
more  particularly  of  the  Colorado  Conference. 
The  work  there  has  always  gone  slowly.  For 
various  reasons  it  is  a  difficult  field  to  cultivate. 
An  ever-changing  population  makes  permanency 
next  to  impossible.  This  is  true  with  all  the 
denominations.  The  migration  of  some  of  our 
people  thither  induced  the  Board  to  send 
St.  Clair  Koss,  of  the  Illinois  Conference,  among 
them  as  a  missionary  in  the  fall  of  1869.  He 
bore  his  own  expenses  in  going,  but 
Workers  ^^  appropriation  of  |200  was  made 

for  his  support  the  first  year,  and 
|115  additional  was  collected  from  outside 
sources.  The  next  man  on  the  ground  was 
W.  H.  McCormick,  of  the  Central  Illinois  Con- 
ference, who  followed  Mr.  Ross  in  the  spring  of 
1870.  He  was  a  professional  teacher,  but  seeing 
the  great  need  of  preachers,  he  threw  himself 

258 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

into  the  itinerancy  of  his  Church,  and  for  years 
was  a  prominent  figure  in  the  councils  and  per- 
sonnel of  the  new  mission  field.  Perhaps  no  one 
gave  the  work  more  standing  in  its  earlier  his- 
tory than  did  Mr.  McCormick. 

In  1872  the  Colorado  Conference  was  organ- 
ized by  Bishop  Dickson.  The  charter  members 
were  St.  Clair  Ross,  A.  Hartzell, 
Conference  ^^^  y^j  Q.  McCormick.  The  mis- 
sion  charges  numbered  three, 
namely,  Denver,  Ralston,  and  Left  Hand.  To 
each  was  appropriated  $266.  There  were  also 
three  classes,  with  an  aggregate  membership 
of  seventy-two.  The  following  year  L.  S. 
Cornell,  a  man  of  culture  and  strength,  was 
added  to  the  working  force,  and  the  four  mis- 
sionaries received  each,  upon  an  average,  $309.82. 
Rather  small  the  compensation  for  a  quartet  of 
brave,  active  men,  willing  to  give  themselves  to 
pioneer  service.  Mr.  Cornell  later  became  prom- 
inent as  a  leader  in  the  educational  work  of  the 
State,  and  won  distinction  as  the  superintendent 
of  its  free  schools. 

Returning  to  the  labors  of  E.  J.  Lamb,  it 
should  be  said  that  after  spending  a  year  in  Col- 
orado he  returned  to  Nebraska,  and 
Nebrask***  ^^^  employed  by  the  Board  to  as- 
certain, as  nearly  as  possible,  the 
number  of  our  people  that  had  settled  in  that 
new  country.  One  hundred  dollars  were  appro- 
priated to  defray  expenses.  Mr.  Lamb,  however, 
was  averse  to  going  alone,  and  offered  Byron 
Allen,  a  local  preacher,  the  whole  of  the  ap- 

259 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

propriation  if  he  would  accompany  him.  When 
informed  that  their  mission  would  be  to  visit 
among  all  the  people,  natives,  Swedes,  Bohe- 
mians, and  others  who  might  come  in  the  way, 
Allen  replied :  "Certainly  I  will  go.  I  fought  all 
through  the  Civil  War,  and  why  should  I  fear 
sinners,  Swedes,  Bohemians,  or  the  devil  him- 
self?" 

After  traveling  over  the  central  and  soutli- 
eastern  portions  of  the  State,  visiting  from  set- 
tlement to  settlement,  and  frequently  from  house 
to  house  in  a  neighborhood,  their  work  Avas 
finally  concluded  and  reported  back  to  the 
Board.  Seven  hundred  and  sixty- 
Reports  to  three  members,  forty  classes,  twen- 

Board  ?  J  ? 

ty-one  local  preachers,  and  thirty- 
one  Sabbath  schools  had  been  found.  Our  peo- 
ple and  preachers  had  gone  there  mainly  from 
loAva  and  Kansas.  The  report  was  so  encour- 
aging that  a  new  conference  was  organized  in 
October  of  1873  by  Bishop  Glossbrenner,  with 
eight  hundred  and  forty-one  communicants, 
twenty-six  ministers,  six  circuits,  and  thirteen 
missions. 

Mr.  Lamb,  in  a  short  time,  removed  his  family 
to  Colorado,  where  he  continued  in  active  service 
as  a  pastor  and  presiding  elder  for  many  years. 
At  this  writing  he  lives  at  Estes  Park,  a  beau- 
tiful summer  resort,  some  thirty-five  miles  dis- 
tant fi*om  Loveland.  Though  seventy-six  years 
old  he  is  quite  strong,  and  preaches  nearly  every 
Sabbath  during  the  summer  and  fall  to  the  many 
who  gather  there  for  health  and  pleasure. 

260 


LESSON  VI. 

Chapter  XXI. 

1.  What  were  the  political  conditions  in  Kansas  in  the  fifties? 

2.  Who  went  to  Kansas  as  the  first  United  Brethren  mission- 
ary, and  when? 

3.  What  of  his  courage  and  the  dangers  to  which  he  was 
exposed  V 

4.  What  report  did  Secretary  Bright  malie  concerning  the 
work  ? 

5.  When  and  where  was  the  first  class  organized  and  the  first 
church  built  ? 

6.  When  and  where  was  the  first  temperance  battle? 

7.  Relate  the  cause  of  S,  S.  Snj^der's  death. 

8.  What  was  the  chai-acter  of  Josiah  Terrell's  work?  Recall 
the  story  of  the  church  bell. 

9.  When,  where,  and  by  whom  was  Kansas  Conference 
organized  V 

Chapter  XXII. 

1.  What  was  the  experience  of  the  Church  in  those  days? 
What  of  the  awful  drought? 

2.  Tell  something  of  the  life  of  Doctor  Huffman ;  also  of 
John   R.   Merideth. 

Chapter  XXIII. 

1.  Give  the  experiences  of  J.  R.  Evans  when  presiding  elder. 
Review  the  grasshopper  invasion,  the  1874  conference,  and  the 
securing  of  Government  help  by  Mrs.  Cardwell. 

2.  How  w-as  a  lady  saved  through  Mr.  Evans  without  know- 
ing or  hearing  him? 

3.  What  of  the  hardships  of  J.  R.  Chambers  and  family? 

4.  Where  did  R.  W.  Parks  settle,  and  what  was  the  nature 
of  his  work  at  first? 

5.  What  of  George  Gay,  his  associate? 

6.  When  did  F.  P.  Smith  become  an  itinerant,  and  what 
support   did   he   and   others    receive? 

7.  What  does  he  say  about  the  frontier?  About  providing  for 
conference  and  about  his  debt? 

8.  What  is  his  testimony  concerning  his  presiding  elder? 

9.  What  preacher  first  settled  in  Northwest  Kansas?  Give 
his  early  work  and  his  estimate  of  his  colaborers? 

10.     Relate  incident  connected  with  Elder  Sheperd. 

Chapter  XXIV. 

1.  Give  briefly  the  service  of  E.  J.  Lamb  up  to  the  time 
of  his  appointment  to  Colorado?  Tell  of  his  experience  with  the 
red  man. 

2.  When  was  he  appointed  to  Colorado  and  by  whom? 

3.  Tell  of  his  encounter  with  a  mountain  lion. 

4.  When  was  the  Colorado  Conference  organized,  and  who 
were  its  leaders? 

5.  For  what  purpose  was  Lamb  employed  by  the  missionary 
Board  in  Nebraska? 

261 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Pioneers  in  Nebraska 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  in  the  Church 
that  a  mission  conference  was  organized  in  Ne- 
braska by  Bishop  Edwards  in  1858.  J.  M. 
Dosh,  of  Des  Moines  Conference,  was  the  leading 
spirit  in  the  new  enterprise.  But  slow  progress 
was  made  for  want  of  men  and  money.  In  1861 
it  numbered  only  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
members.  Shortly  after  this  it  was  discontin- 
ued, and  placed  under  the  care  of  what  was  then 
known  as  West  Des  Moines  Conference.  Our 
people,  however,  continued  to  come  in  from  va- 
rious sections  until,  as  has  been  noted  elsewhere, 
they  numbered  nearly  eight  hundred,  and  again 
it  was  found  necessary  to  organize. 

Nebraska  is  a  great  State,  and  has  furnished 
a  splendid  field  for  the  Church,  though  we  have 
not  been  able  to  cultivate  it  as  its  real  needs  de- 
manded, or  as  the  opportunities  would  have  per- 
mitted. A  large  portion  of  it  is  still  genuine 
home  mission  territory,  and  appeals  strongly  to 
the  general  Church  for  help. 

''  WILLIAM  P.   CAL.DWE3L.L, 

William  P.  Caldwell  was  a  captain,  cour- 
ageous and  noble,  and  proved  a  very  great  factor 
in  establishing  United  Brethrenism  in  eastern 
Nebraska.      Settling   near   where   the   town   of 

262 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Swantom  now  stands,  he  began  to  exercise  in 
public,  and  very  soon  was  in  great  demand  as  a 
leader  in  prayer  and  social  meetings.  This  was 
in  1865.  As  yet  he  was  not  licensed  to  preach, 
but  the  more  thoughtful  and  pious  with  whom  he 
worshiped  were  impressed  that  the  ministry  was 
his  divinely-appointed  field,  and  often  talked 
with  him  upon  the  subject.  Finally 
Begins  j^g  yielded,  and  a  year  later  entered 

the  active  work  of  a  missionary 
itinerant.  Both  his  pulpit  and  social  qualities 
conspired  to  make  him  popular,  hence  the  people 
were  always  glad  to  hear  him  preach.  Some 
who  lived  thirty  miles  distant  would  attend  his 
services.  He  traveled  on  horseback,  preached 
every  night  in  the  week,  and  three  times  on  Sun- 
day. When  appointed  by  the  Kansas  Confer- 
ence to  Turkey  Creek  Circuit,  he  was  the  only 
regular  traveling  preacher  in  Nebraska,  and  his 
territory  embraced  the  entire  State.  He  had 
thirty  appointments.  With  such  a  field  it  is 
easy  to  see  why  he  was  kept  on  the  go  inces- 
santly. 

He  was  preeminently  a  soul-winner.  In  the 
pulpit  his  appeals  were  tender  and  convincing; 
but  he  was  not  confined  to  the  public  congrega- 
tion in  his  work.  He  always  had  a  message  for 
the  individual,  whether  in  field  or 
plo^ie****  shop,  whether  on  the  public  high- 

way or  in  the  home.  He  would 
sometimes  start  out  early  on  the  Sabbath  and 
walk  for  miles  and  miles,  inviting  the  people,  and 
especially  the  indifferent,  to  come  and  hear  the 

263 


Our  Heroes^  or 

word.  Such  a  man  always  wins.  God  give  us 
more  like  him !  His  salary  as  a  pastor  ranged 
from  |3T  up  to  |150.  One  year  it  reached  |175, 
including  a  missionary  appropriation  of  f25. 

AftQr  a  few  years  he  was  elected  presiding 
elder.  A  leading  minister,  Solomon  Weaver, 
of  the  Kansas  Conference,  opposed  his  eleva- 
tion, saying:  ^^Brethren,  don't  elect  him.  If 
you  do  you  will  spoil  a  mighty  good  circuit 
preacher,  and  make  an  exceedingly  poor  pref^id- 
ing  elder.-'  But  the  good  brother  was  mistaken 
in  his  man.  Mr.  Caldwell  continued  in  the  office 
some  twenty  years,  serving  his  conference  and 
Church  Avith  great  acceptability. 

His  son,  Schuyler,  says,  in  a  communication : 
^^We  boys  stayed  at  home  with  mother  and 
worked  to  make  a  living,  while  father  traveled 
all  the  time.  It  was  three  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  around  one  of  his  circuits,  but  he  made  it 
every  three  weeks,  and  got  $37  for 
Tesfimonr  ^^^  ycar's  work.     This  was  but  a 

fair  sample  of  much  of  his  early 
ministry.  Meeting  his  appointments  sometimes 
meant  the  swimming  of  swollen  streams,  and  the 
facing  of  blinding  snow-storms,  but  he  never 
complained.  Before  he  left  us  for  heaven  he  had 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  three  thousand 
souls  had  been  converted  and  brought  into  the 
Church  through  his  labors." 

As  a  preacher  he  was  not  broadly  informed. 
He  had  but  little  time  to  spend  with  his  library 
at  home,  yet  he  was  a  student.  Tlie  Bible  with 
him  was  first  and  foremost.     He  studied  it  on 

264 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

horseback,  or  as  he  rested  by  the  wayside. 
Sometimes  in  the  home  where  he  chanced  to 
tarry,  the  midnight  hour  would  find  him  reading 
the  old  Book  by  the  dim,  flickering  light  of  the 
'^tallow  dip."  So,  while  he  did  not  know  much 
about  the  sciences,  he  understood  the  philosophy 
of  salvation's  plan,  and  how  to  win  men  to 
Christ. 

A  few  years  before  his  death  he  asked  the 

conference  for  a  rest  of  twelve  months,  which 

was   cheerfully   granted.      But   he 

Could  Not  could  not  rest ;  he  did  not  know 

Unit  AVork  ,  ^  ,      ,        i    ,  t 

how.  To  work  had  become  second 
nature  with  him ;  so  he  made  appointments  and 
preached  nearly  as  often  as  if  he  had  been  in 
charge  of  a  circuit.  When  the  year  was  up  he 
reported  two  new  classes,  and  ninety  accessions. 
With  him  it  was  battle  and  victory  to  the  very 
last.  No  mortal  ear  ever  heard  him  sound  a  re- 
treat or  ever  complain  of  the  lot  which  had  be- 
fallen him.  His  life  was  one  long  journey  up- 
ward without  a  halt,  or  single  step  backward. 

As  a  fitting  expression  of  appreciation,  and  to 
perpetuate  his  memory  in  the  Church  to  which 
he  gave  his  life,  the  East  Nebraska  Conference 
erected  the  first  temple  of  worship  in  Lincoln, 
the  capital  of  the  State,  engraving  thereon 
^^Caldwell  Memorial.'' 

SIMEON    AUSTIN 

One  of  the  charter  members  of  the  East  Ne- 
braska Conference  was  Simeon  Austin,  who 
settled  in  York  County  in  1867,  and  began  to 

265 


Our  Heroes,  or 

preach  in  the  different  neighborhoods  in  reach 
of  him.  Though  poor  in  this  world's  goods,  he 
possessed  great  energy  and  zeal,  and  counted  it 
a  pleasure  to  suffer  hardships  for  the  sake  of  the 
Church.  Having  a  faith  well  grounded  in  the 
Word,  he  ever  stood  ready  to  defend  what  he  con- 
ceived to  be  right.  He  really  loved  controversy, 
and  feared  not  to  cross  swords  with  any  foe,  no 
matter  how  giantlike  he  might  appear. 

At  the  first  session  of  the  conference  he  was 
elected  one  of  the  presiding  elders,  and  remained 
Elected  ^^  ^^®  position  for  many  years.    In 

Presiding  serviug  his  district  he  drove  a  span 

Elder  ^^  ponies  hitched  to  an  old  buggy, 

partly  constructed  by  himself.  Thus  he  traveled 
month  by  month,  sometimes  lodging  with  a 
friend,  at  other  times  camping  out,  using  his 
buggy  for  a  shelter,  mother  earth  for  a  bed,  and 
his  grip  for  a  pillow.  He  seemed  determined 
that  no  obstacle  should  turn  him  aside  from  the 
path  of  duty,  or  from  the  achievement  of  what- 
ever task  he  sought  to  accomplish.  One  example 
will  suffice: 

At  the  close  of  a  certain  conference  session, 
held  in  a  country  church,  a  few  farmers  loaded 
the  preachers  and  visitors  into  their  bobsleds  and 
started  for  the  railroad  station  six  miles  distant. 
The  waters  were  high,  the  snow  deep,  and  the 
wind  blew  furiously.  When  within  two  miles  of 
the  depot  they  encountered  a  sheet  of  water  and 
ice  some  twenty  rods  wide,  occasioned  by  the 
river  overflowing  its  banks.  It  was  too  deep  to 
drive  the  sleds  through;  what  was  to  be  done? 

266 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Presiding  Elder  Austin  determined  not  to  miss 

his  train.     After  a  brief  consultation  he  said: 

"I  am  the  oldest  man  in  the  crowd. 

Anlnstance  ^-]jq    yy^H    foUoW    me?"       Aud    With 

his  grip  in  hand  he  plunged  into 
the  icy  water.  Six  others  followed.  But  when 
they  reached  the  station  it  was  found  that  there 
was  no  train  within  forty  miles  of  them  headed 
their  way.  Then  what?  No  conveyance  could 
be  had  of  any  kind  for  any  price.  One  of  the 
party  lived  at  Blair,  twenty-six  miles  away. 
After  another  council  they  determined  to  walk 
eight  miles  over  the  railroad  track  to  the  next 
town,  where  they  secured  conveyance,  and 
reached  Blair  at  ten  o'clock  that  night.  How 
grateful  they  were  to  get  something  to  eat  and 
to  find  a  warm  home  in  which  to  dry  their  frozen 
garments.  Mr.  Austin,  during  this  most  trying 
ordeal,  remained  cheerful  and  did  much  to  rally 
the  spirits  of  his  weary  comrades  in  travel. 

A  brother  who  knew  him  well  and  worked  long 
at  his  side,  refers  to  him  as  one  of  God's  noble 
men — a  brave  soul  who  never  flinched  in  the 
presence  of  duty,  nor  complained  over  his  lot,  no 
matter  how  hard  and  trying.  At  each  recurring 
sunset  he  pitched  his  tent  on  higher  ground,  un- 
til heaven  was  gained. 

ELIJAH  W.  JOHNSON 

Another  worthy  pioneer  in  Nebraska  United 
Brethrenism,  and  whose  name  deserves  a  place 
in  the  list  of  heroes  recorded  in  this  volume, 
was  Elijah  W.  Johnson.     He  moved  from  Illi- 

267 


Our  Heroes,  or 

nois  in  1866,  and  located  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  State,  where  he  preached  for  a  time  as  op- 
portunity was  afforded. 

When  the  conference  was  organized  in  1873, 
he  was  chosen  secretar}^,  and  reelected  thereafter 
twenty  times.  In  1875  he  was  made  presiding 
elder.  These  were  hard  days  for  the  itinerant 
in  a  new  and  sparsely  settled  ter- 
secretary  ritory,  bccause  of  the  vastness  of 

the  field  and  the  stinted  financial 
support  received.  As  emigrants  crossed  the  Mis- 
souri River,  they  located  all  along  the  border 
north  and  south.  A  fair  proportion  of  these 
were  United  Brethren.  To  follow  them,  and  to 
answer  all  the  calls  for  preaching,  meant  in- 
creased labor,  and  extended  itineraries. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  a  man  of  indomitable  pur- 
pose, and  therefore  suited  to  the  kind  of  service 
thrust  upon  him.  With  a  courage  born  of  faith 
he  stood  ready  to  grapple  with  any  problem  in 
the  line  of  his  work,  however  great  and  difficult 
it  might  appear.  The  snow-storms  which  so  fre^ 
(juently  swept  over  the  prairies,  rendering  the 
roads  impassable  for  days,  and  even  for  weeks  at 
a  time,  greatly  hindered  the  preachers  in  mak- 
ing good  their  appointments,  and  in  holding 
revivals.  The  presiding  elder  had  his  full  share 
of  difficulties  from  this  source.  A  single  inci- 
dent from  his  own  pen  will  suffice  to  show  what 
he  had  to  encounter  at  times  : 

'^In  February  of  1877,  I  held  a  quarterly  meet- 
ing at  the  union  schoolhouse,  in  Cass  County, 
near  the  present  town  of  Elmwood.     Sabbath 

268 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

morning  was  favorable,  and  the  people  came 
from  far  and  near.  About  eleven  o'clock  it  be- 
gan to  snow,  and  kept  on  until  the  storm  was 
blinding.  The  people,  after  church,  all  went  to 
the  nearest  neighbors,  hoping  that 
A  Trying  ^^.^^  j^^^o,  fiiov  could  gct  awaj  to 

Experience  ,.,  '\,,i  *i. 

their  hoiiief^;  but  there  was  no  let 
up  in  the  snowfall  for  the  next  twenty-four 
hours.  What  croAvds  of  us  there  were  in  little 
shacks  I  Where  I  stopped  we  numbered  seven- 
teen, and  onlv  three  beds.  The  brother  was  out 
of  coal,  but  fortunately  had  some  corn  ahead, 
so  he  sat  by  the  little  stove  all  night,  and  fed  it 
corn.  Some  slept  on  chairs,  others  in  the  beds, 
while  others,  still,  stretched  out  upon  the  floor. 
The  building  was  a  primitive  homesteader's 
shack  of  about  twelve  by  fourteen  feet,  to  which 
had  been  added  a  kitchen,  eight  by  twelve  feet. 
When  permitted  to  go  out  the  next  afternoon  we 
found  the  snow-drifts  so  deep  that  travel  seemed 
impossible. 

"My  next  quarterly  was  on  Plattsmouth  Cir- 
cuit, twenty-five  miles  distant.  Though  I  was 
eighteen  miles  from  the  nearest  railroad  station, 
I  determined  not  to  miss  my  engagement.  After 
waiting  two  days  I  found  a  man  who  seemed 
compelled  to  attend  court  at  Plattsmouth,  and  he 
agreed  to  give  me  a  place  in  his  bob-sled  if  I 

would  help  him  through  the  snow- 
A  Long  drifts.       Thursday     morning     we 

started.  His  wraps  were  a  couple 
of  old  quilts.  On  we  went,  sometimes  in  the 
road,  sometimes  through  the  fields,  and  ofttimes 

269 


Our  Heroes,  or 

through  or  over  immense  accumulations  of  snow. 
Sometimes  we  walked — just  anything  to  get 
along.  Finally,  in  the  evening,  and  after  travel- 
ing all  day  without  seeing  food  or  fire,  I  turned 
aside  and  found  a  United  Brethren  home.  I 
could  not  express  my  gratitude  to  God  for  his 
abounding  goodness  in  leading  me  that  day,  and 
in  giving  me  a  resting-place  for  my  weary  body." 

FARTHER  TO  THE  WEST. 

When  it  became  known  that  the  south  central 
portion  of  the  State  was  exceedingly  fertile,  and 
promised  to  become  wealthy  in  time,  the  people 
migrated  thitherward  in  great  numbers.  Our 
preachers,  with  that  broad,  hopeful  spirit  which 
almost  invariably  characterizes  the  pioneer, 
joined  the  procession  and  located  on  the  frontier 
for  the  purpose  of  ministering  to  the  spiritual 
needs  of  the  new  settlers,  and  of  planting  early 
among  them  the  United  Brethren  Church. 

In  1878  the  West  Nebraska  Conference  was 
organized.  The  handful  of  workers  who  consti- 
tuted it  were  brave — heroic  enough 
West  Nebraska   ^^^  ^^y  ^^  work  out  for  themselvcs, 

Organized  *^  ^ 

with  but  little  outside  help,  the 
problems  of  growth  and  permanency.  The  men 
in  the  vanguard  suffered  as  did  others  who  were 
thrust  upon  the  great  prairies  to  battle  with 
famine  and  storm  and  hostile  tribes.  Some  of 
the  fields  projected  by  the  new  conference  em- 
braced two  or  three  counties,  or  large  portions 
thereof,  and  were  traveled  afoot  by  the  mission- 
aries assigned  to  them. 

270 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

In  1879  crops  were  so  short,  and  food  and 
clothing  so  scarce,  that  the  Missionary  Society 
made  a  general  call  for  help,  which  was  for- 
warded in  time  to  relieve  the  brethren  who  were 
so  sorely  in  need.  One  of  the  sufferers,  writing 
to  Secretary  Flickinger,  said :  "Here  let  me  refer 

to  the  goods  and  money  received 
A  TouchiHgr        for  the  missionaries  not  long  ago. 

They  have  all  been  distributed. 
What  happiness  and  encouragement  they 
brought  to  us !  What  a  lighting  up  of  drooping 
spirits!  The  warming  of  the  little  ones  in  the 
home,  and  the  feeding  of  the  hungry,  have  been 
the  source  of  many  new  and  holy  impulses,  and 
led  to  the  forming  of  many  new  resolutions  to 
do  more  for  the  Savior.  I  can  speak  only  of 
their  tears  and  words  of  gratitude.  They  tell  of 
emotions  which  cannot  be  expressed." 

GEORGB  FEIMBBRS 

When  West  Nebraska  Conference  was  organ- 
ized there  were  a  good  many  Germans  in  its  ter- 
ritory,   and    in   some   of   the   Kansas    counties 
nearby.     George  Fembers,  being  a  German  by 
birth  and  education,  asked  permis- 

Mlssionary  to         gj^^    ^^   CSLTTY   the  WOrd   tO   hiS   peO- 

pie  wherever  he  might  find  them  in 
the  new  country.  The  favor  was  granted,  and 
he  at  once  set  about  his  work  with  that  devout- 
ness  and  steady  purpose  so  characteristic  of  his 
race.  But  the  career  of  the  anxious  herald  in 
this  particular  field  was  brief.  A  cruel  death 
was  not  very  far  away. 

271 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

A  northern  tribe  of  Cheyenne  Indians,  settled 
by  the  Government  in  the  early  seventies  in  the 
Indian  Territory,  now  Oklahoma,  had  grown  dis- 
satisfied  with  their  surroundings, 
Trouble  With      r^^^^  determined  to  return  to  their 

Indians 

old  home  on  the  Sioux  reservation 
near  the  Black  Hills,  in  South  Dakota.  The  de- 
serters were  led  by  Chief  Dull  Knife,  and  num- 
bered about  one  hundred  and  fifty,  and  two  hun- 
dred women  and  children.  For  some  cause  they 
became  exasperated  and  slew,  without  mercy, 
thirty-two  whites  in  Decatur  and  Rawlins  coun- 
ties, Kansas,  as  they  passed  through.  Mr.  Fem- 
bers  was  in  Rawlins  County  at  the  time,  and  in 
the  path  of  their  raid.  About  daybreak  one 
morning  they  reached  the  place  where  he  had 
tarried  for  the  night.    The  man  of  the  house  was 

shot  down  in  the  yard.  The  mis- 
crueiiy  siouary,  hearing  the  report  of  their 

guns,  and  surmising  what  it  meant, 
ran  out  of  the  house,  but  was  not  allowed  to  es- 
cape. His  dead  body  was  left  lying  in  its  own 
blood  only  a  few  rods  distant,  and  later  was 
buried  on  the  spot  by  unknown  hands.  A  young 
girl  fourteen  years  old  made  her  escape,  with  a 
little  brother,  to  a  strip  of  timber  near  by,  where 
she  was  found  by  J.  G.  Martin,  a  United  Breth- 
ren, some  days  later,  almost  crazed  by  hunger 
and  excitement. 

Several  years  after  the  lone  preacher's  death, 
his  conference  had  his  body  exhumed  and  rein- 
terred  in  a  church  cemetery  in  Redwillow  Coun- 
ty, Nebraska,  near  the  home  of  Mr.  J.  Mason. 

272 


^55 

-r  o 


-o 


X  5 

H    Hi 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

Brave  Men  in  California 

In  the  early  fifties  we  had  a  few  United  Breth- 
ren preaeliers  in  California  who  had  gone  thither 
to  find  homes,  and,  if  the  way  opened,  to  aid  in 
establishing  the  Church.  Among  these  were 
David  Thompson,  B.  B.  Allen,  and  J.  H.  May- 
field.  California  then,  as  now,  was  a  difficult 
field  to  cultivate,  owing,  largely,  to  social  condi- 
tions. The  constant  moving  of  United  Brethren 
to  the  coast,  hoAvever,  soon  led  the  Missionary 
Society  to  undertake  the  opening  of  work  in  the 
''Golden  State,"  as  it  already  had  done  in  tlie 
State  of  Oregon. 

ISRAGIi   SLOAN 

The  first  representative  sent  out  by  the  Board 
was  Israel  Sloan,  formerly  a  missionary  in 
Canada.  He  sailed  from  New  York  in  October 
of  1858,  and  landed  safely  at  San  Francisco  after 
a  voyage  of  twenty-four  days.  Having  some 
means  at  command,  he  volunteered  to  pay  his 
own  moving  expenses,  and  during  the  next  four 
years  drew  largely  upon  his  private  resources  in 
order  to  remain  in  the  work.  Unlike  many 
others  who  settle  in  new  countries,  he  gave  his 
full  time  to  the  ministry.  His  labors  were  ex- 
ceedingly fruitful,  resulting  in  the  organization 
of  a  number  of  classes.    Indeed,  the  outlook  was 

273 


Our  Heroes,  or 

so  encouraging  that  he  recommended  to  the  Gen- 
eral Board  the  formation  of  a  mission  confer- 
ence, which  was  agreed  to,  and,  accordingly,  the 
first  session  was  held  in  1861,  be- 
work  o-inninff   January   16.      Mr.    Sloan 

Opened  Up  '^  i       x     i     t»-    i  4-  1 

was  elected  Bishop  pro  tern,  and 
conducted,  in  a  regular  way,  the  business  of  the 
session.  The  ministers  present,  besides  himself, 
were:  D.  Troxel,  D.  Thompson,  and  J.  Dollar- 
hide,  of  the  Iowa  Conference.  The  distribution 
of  the  workers  was  as  follows :  District  and  Dry 
Creek  Mission,  Israel  Sloan;  Yolo  and  Solano 
missions,  J.  Dollarhide;  Sacramento,  D.  Thomp- 
son. Thus  the  California  Conference  was 
launched  with  three  itinerants,  twenty  appoint- 
ments, six  classes,  and  seventy-five  members. 

The  next  session  was  called  for  September  13, 
1862.  Again  Mr.  Sloan  presided.  We  are  in- 
debted to  J.  H.  Becker  for  the  following  syn- 
opsis of  the  proceedings  of  this  conference,  and 
for  other  items  which  he  gathered  while  on  the 
coast  and  preserved : 

'The  second  annual  conference  of  the  United 
Brethren,  of  California,  met  at  Sloan^s  school- 
house,  Yolo  County,  September  13,  1862,  Sloan 
in  the  chair.  Brother  Dollarhide  conducted  the 
devotional  exercises. 

'Olembers  present:  I.  Sloan,  B.  B.  Allen,  A. 
Musselman,  William  Wresser,  D.  Thompson,  and 
J.  Dollarhide.  The  organization  was  completed 
by  electing  William  Dresser  secretary. 

"Brother  Allen  reported  Solano  Mission  as 
having  twenty-nine  members  at  the  end  of  the 

274 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

year.  He  also  reported  |36.45,  presiding  elder's 
salary.     Time  employed,  four  months. 

^^Musselman  and  Dresser  were  elected  to  re- 
ceive elders'  orders.  The  appointed  Committee 
on  Boundaries  brought  in  their  report,  which 
was  adopted. 

^'Dresser  reported  Yolo  Mission  as  having 
twenty  members  at  the  end  of  the  year.  Two 
classes  were  in  an  organized  condition;  one  Tel- 
escope was  taken,  and  eleven  months  had  been 
employed. 

^^The  correction  of  the  itinerant  list  showed 
the  following  workers,  I.  Sloan,  A.  Musselman, 
J.  Dollarhide,  and  William  Dresser. 

'^Sloan  and  Musselman  were  elected  presiding 
elders,  Sloan  being  appointed  to  Humboldt  and 
Musselman  to  Sacramento  Valley  District. 

"On  motion,  each  preacher,  whether  traveling 
or  local,  was  to  preach  a  sermon  on  missions  dur- 
ing the  3^ear,  and  use  every  laudable  means  to  ob- 
tain missionary  money.  Also,  to  establish  Sab- 
bath schools.  Brother  Allen  was  appointed  to 
preach  a  missionary  sermon  during  the  confer- 
ence session. 

"The  Committee  to  station  the  preachers  con- 
sisted of  three,  namely,  Musselman,  Allen,  and 
Sloan,  the  Bishop  pro  tern. 

"By  motion,  the  Book  Concern  w^as  requested 
to  donate  |400  in  Hymn-books,  Disciplines,  and 
Harps  (a  revival  song-book). 

"The  place  of  holding  the  next  conference  was 
left  to  the  presiding  elders.  Conference  then  ad- 
journed. 

275 


Our  Heroes^  or 

"Revs.  Alexander,  Musselman,  and  William 
Dresser  were  solemnly  ordained  to  the  office  of 
elder  after  the  morning  sermon  on  Sabbath,  Sep- 
tember 14,  by  the  Bishop  pro  tern.,  assisted  by 
Revs.  J.  Dollarhide  and  B.  B.  Allen.'' 

Mr.  Sloan  was  appointed  to  a  distant  charge. 
In  a  letter  to  the  Telescope  shortly  after  confer- 
ence, he  said,  "It  falls  to  my  lot  to  go  to  Hum- 
boldt Bay,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  and  forty 
miles  from  Sacramento  across  the  Coast  Range 
Mountains."  He  might  have  sent  some  one  else 
to  this  far-off  mission,  and  himself  remained 
where  the  work  would  have  been  less  vexing,  and 
the  surroundings  more  congenial,  but  it  was  not 
like  the  hero  to  do  so.  He  chose  for  himself  the 
hardest  field. 

The  moving  of  his  family  and  goods  was  a 

great  undertaking  in  view  of  the  mountains  to 

be  crossed,  and  the  lack  of  trans- 

Long,  Danser-    portatiou  f acilltics.    Mrs.  Sloan  de- 

ous  Move  ^       .  . 

scribes  the  journey  most  graphic- 
ally in  a  recent  communication:  "We  shipped 
our  goods  by  steamer  to  Humboldt,  and  ourselves 
went  over  the  mountains.  The  trip  was  hard  and 
dangerous.  When  we  struck  the  mountains 
proper  the  wagon-road  ran  out,  and  the  balance 
of  the  way,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  had  to 
be  made  on  horseback,  with  dangers  besetting  us 
on  every  hand.  The  Indians  were  on  the  war- 
path and  doing  their  most  bloody  work.  We 
found  that  an  escort  of  armed  men  was  neces- 
sary, which  it  took  some  time  to  provide  for. 
During  the  entire  journey  we  had  been  camping 

276 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

out,  cooking  our  meals,  and  sleeping  on  the 
ground.  While  trying  to  arrange  for  the  guard 
that  was  to  accompany  us,  our  children  took 
down  with  the  measles.  Then  we  tried  hard  to 
get  shelter,  but  no  one  was  willing  to  take  in  a 
family  of  five,  and  measles  added.  The  October 
rains  had  set  in,  and  we  were  in  despair.     The 

two  youngest  children  we  feared 
Children  would    uot    recovcr.      About    ten 

o'clock  one  morning  our  nearest 
neighbor,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  came  over 
to  see  how  we  were  doing.  He  was  a  Virginian, 
and  very  hospitable.  When  he  saw  hov>^  bad  the 
children  were,  he  gathered  the  oldest  in  his 
strong  arms,  asked  us  to  follow  with  the  others, 
and  led  the  way  to  his  house.  Upon  reaching  his 
door  he  said  to  his  wife:  ^Mother,  these  children 
would  have  died  out  there,  and  could  we  ever 
have  forgiven  ourselves?  Pull  out  the  trundle- 
bed.'  So  he  installed  himself  nurse,  and  kept 
watch  day  and  night  until  they  were  better.  The 
^]nother'  of  the  house  was  very  much  upset  for 
a  day  or  two,  but  after  that  we  became  fast 
friends,  and  in  the  years  that  followed  we  always 
found  a  hearty  welcome  with  father  and  mother 
Burns.  Since  then  I  have  crossed  over  this  same 
mountain  trail  twenty-six  times,  the  last  three 
with  teams." 

The  next  summer  Mr.  Sloan  received  word 
that  the  work  in  the  Sacramento  Valley  Avas  not 
in  a  prosperous  condition,  and  decided  to  spend 
a  few  weeks  on  his  former  field,  hoping  thereby 
to  encourage  the  brethren,  and,  if  possible,  to  re- 

277 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

trieve  any  losses  that  had  been  sustained.  On 
the  twenty-third  of  June  he  started  upon  his  long 
journey.  Everything  went  well  until  he  started 
down  the  Cache  Creek  Mountains.  At  a  very 
steep,  narrow  place,  his  pony  became  unmanage- 
able and  ran  away,  throwing  him  violently  to  the 

ground.  Some  one  living  two  and 
Mortally  ^  \\di\i  uiiles  dlstaut  found  him  in 

an  unconscious  condition,  and  took 
him  to  his  house  on  a  sled  drawn  by  oxen.  Later, 
he  was  removed  to  the  residence  of  Nelson  Dun- 
ning. It  was  several  days  before  he  could  give 
an  intelligent  account  of  the  accident. 

What  a  distressing  situation!  One  hundred 
and  eighty-five  miles  from  his  family,  and  mor- 
tally hurt.  Weeks  passed  by,  but  his  faithful 
wife  heard  nothing  from  him.  She  became  uneasy 
and  impatient.  Something  was  wrong,  she  felt, 
but  knew  not  what.  The  clatter  of  horses'  feet, 
or  the  sound  of  a  neighbor's  footfall,  awakened 
mingled  feelings  of  hope  and  fear.  Finally,  she 
received  a  letter  from  him  stating  that  he  would 
soon  be  home;  but  he  did  not  come.  It  is  next 
to  impossible  for  those  of  us  who  live  under  bet- 
ter and  more  favorable  conditions  to  appreciate 
the  situation  of  this  poor  woman. 

After  several  long  weeks  Mr.  Sloan  was  placed 
on  a  steamer  bound  for  Humboldt  Bay.     Tlie 

voyage  was  rough  and  the  entire 
"**"**  crew  was  endangered  by  a  heavy 

Voyage.  o  .;  ^ 

coast  storm.  The  captain  thought 
several  times  that  Mr.  Sloan  was  dying,  and 
asked  him  for  his  last  message  to  his  family  and 

278 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

church,  but  the  man  of  faith  said :  ^'No,  we  shall 
land  safely,  and  I  shall  be  spared  to  give  my 
parting  words.  Tliis  is  my  last  request  of  my 
Heavenly  Father,  and  I  am  sure  he  will  not  fail 
me."  The  captain  testified  that  he  had  never  be- 
fore witnessed  such  submission  and  faith  in  God. 
The  vessel  landed  August  30,  and  just  twenty- 
four  hours  afterward  he  died. 

Immediately  upon  his  arrival  at  Humboldt 
Bay  a  messenger  was  despatched  for  his  wife, 
who  brought  her  to  his  bedside  by  four  o^clock 
the  next  morning.  The  meeting  was  affectionate, 
and  the  closing  hours  of  his  life,  which  followed, 
were  filled  with  deepest  interest. 

Let  his  faithful  helper  in  the  Lord  tell  the 
story.  Memories  of  the  occasion  tarry  with  her 
to  this  day,  and  no  doubt  will  be  revived  when 
she  meets  and  greets  him  in  heaven.  ^'I  found 
him,''  she  says,  "sweetly  waiting  and  trusting. 
He  said,  ^I  knew  you  would  come.'  He  first  gave 
full  directions  about  our  children,  and  then 
talked  over  the  work  of  the  Church,  saying :  "All 
my  spiritual  interests  I  leave  in  your  care 
through  the  Church.  If  you  can  use  any  argu- 
ment to  get  some  one  to  come  and  take  full 
charge  of  the  work,  do  so.'  Then  he 

Triumphant  g^J^J  .      ^Dou't      WCCp,      but      Slug.        I 

thouglit  death  would  be  a  cold,  tur- 
bulent stream,  but  if  this  is  death,  it  is  sweet  to 
die.  Sing.'  Tliere  were  tvro  strange  women  in  the 
room,  and  turning  to  them  in  the  midst  of  my 
weeping,  I  asked  them  to  sing,  but  they  could  not. 
Again  my  husband  said,  ^Don't  weep,  but  sing.'  I 

279 


Our  Heroes,  or 

asked,  ^What  shall  I  sing?'  He  replied,  ^On  Jor- 
dan's stormy  banks  I  stand,'  lining  the  entire 
hymn  of  eight  stanzas,  two  lines  at  a  time,  as  was 
the  custom  then.  Kneeling  at  his  side,  I  sang  it 
all  but  the  last  two  lines.  Before  reaching  these 
his  spirit  took  its  flight." 

The  following  appeared  in  a  local  newspaper 
immediately  after  the  funeral : 

"Rev.  Mr.  Sloan  went  below  some  few  months 
since,  and  his  long  delay  caused  alarm  to  his 
family,  consisting  of  wife  and  three  children. 

"On  the  30th  day  of  August  he  came  on  the 
steamer,  sick  and  apparently  near  to  death.  He 
was  carried  to  William's  Hotel,  from  whence  he 
sent  for  the  undersigned,  who  immediately  sent 
for  his  wife,  who  arrived  the  morning  of  the  31st, 
at  four  o'clock.  After  the  arrival  of  his  wife, 
his  mind  was  most  of  the  time  incoherent,  but  he 
enjoyed  lucid  intervals,  during  which  he  con- 
versed with  her,  and  bade  adieu  to  friends,  and 
expressed  a  willingness  "to  depart  and  to  be 
with  Christ,  which  is  far  better." 

"Several  of  his  friends  from  Eel  River  and 
members  from  his  Church,  were  prompt  in  com- 
ing to  his  assistance,  and  conveyed  his  remains 
to  Eel  River  for  burial. 

"Peace  to  the  memory  of  a  good  man  and  a 
faithful  servant  of  Christ!  Blessings  upon  his 
afflicted  Avidow  and  fatherless  children!  Truly, 
the  community  that  shall  favor  them  in  their 
afflictions  shall  inherit  a  blessing. 

"A.  J.  HUESTIS. 

''Eureka,  ^eptemher  h,  1^63/' 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

An  aged  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  who  knew  Mr.  Sloan  intimately,  de- 
scribes him  thus:  ^^He  was  a  tall  man  of  about 
forty-five  years.  As  a  preacher  he  was  strong, 
and  attracted  the  people  to  him.  Being  deeply 
pious,  and  spiritual,  he  left  his  impress  on  men 
wherever  he  met  them.  He  was 
A  Beautiful  zcalous,  aud  devoted  all  his  time  to 
ministerial  work.  In  a  few  short 
years  he  had  i^lanted  nearly  a  score  of  classes 
in  the  farming  sections  of  the  State.  He  was  a 
self-denying  man,  deserving  a  much  better  sup- 
port than  he  received,  but  I  never  heard  him  utter 
a  word  of  complaint.  He  lived  like  a  hero,  and 
died  like  a  saint." 

How  true  that  all  the  martyrs  were  not 
burned  at  the  stake,  nor  put  to  death  by  the 
vengeful  sword.  In  the  life  and  labors  of  this 
godly  man  we  see  something  of  what  it  cost  to 
plant  the  Church  in  California,  thus  giving  it  a 
part  in  bringing  to  God  a  country  so  rich  in  its 
resources  and  possibilities. 


2S1 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

Brave  Men  in  Calif opnia. — Continued. 

It  is  a  delight  to  trace  the  records  of  men  who, 
in  the  long  ago,  consented  to  do  pioneer  work, 
and  counted  it  a  joy  to  suffer  the  hardships  in- 
cident to  such  a  life.  How  such  characters 
stand  out  in  contrast  with  those  ministers  of 
to-day  who  shirk  diflflcult  fields,  and  demand  the 
very  best  the  Church  has  to  give !  We  are  some- 
times led  to  wonder  whether  such  men  are  in 
the  pulpit  from  a  sense  of  duty  or  from  motives 
purely  selfish.  The  ministry  means  nothing  if 
we  divest  it  of  the  element  of  heroism.  There  is 
a  certain  kind  of  daring,  a  chivalrous  spirit 
which  attaches  to  the  high  and  holy  calling,  and 
is  displayed  in  all  the  plans  and  public  minis- 
trations of  a  true  gospel  herald.  Service  with 
him  comes  before  salary. 

DANIEL    SHUCK 

The  annals  of  the  Church  present  but  few 
names,  if  any,  more  illustrious  than  that  of 
Daniel  Shuck.  His  pioneer  labors  were  not 
confined  to  one  conference,  but  ex- 
tended to  various  portions  of  the 
Church,  and  covered  a  period  of 
thirty-five  years  or  more.  Modest  in  disposition, 
massive  in  intellect,  strong  in  character,  unflag- 
ging in  zeal,  dauntless  in  courage,  and  holy  in 
life,  he  presents  a  model  worthy  of  emulation  by 

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A  Great 
Man 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

exerj  young  preacher  who  seeks  a  place  and  part 
in  the  special  work  of  soul-winning. 

Mr.  Shuck  was  horn  in  Harrison  County,  Indi- 
ana, January  16,  1827.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he 
was  converted,  and  at  once  took  up  the  duty  of 
family  prayer  in  his  father's  house.  When  he 
was  seventeen  he  began  to  preach,  and  was 
placed  on  a  circuit  by  the  presiding 
His  Early  elder  under  an  experienced  pastor, 

and  soon  thereafter  joined  the  Indi- 
ana Conference.  In  one  of  his  memorandum- 
books  he  tells  the  story  of  his  ministerial  career, 
in  outline,  from  1814  to  1860.  Here  it  is  as  he 
jotted  it  down : 

"In  March,  1844,  I  joined  the  conference  in 
Franklin  Chapel,  Union  County,  Indiana.  Trav- 
eled Corvdon  Circuit  three  months,  and  Wash- 
ington nine  months.  Keceived  |T0.  In  1845,  six 
months  on  Liberty  Circuit.  |60.  In  the  fall  of 
1845  I  went  to  the  State  University  at  Bloom- 
ington,  where  I  continued  until  September,  1846. 
Then  I  taught  school  three  months  in  George- 
town, Indiana.  January,  1847,  I  was  sent  to 
Laughery,  and  traveled  one  year.  Received  |80. 
In  January,  1848,  I  was  returned  and  traveled 
until  September.  Received  $87.  The  year  1848- 
49  stationed  at  Zion  Chapel.  Salary  |80.54. 
New  Albany  mission,  1849-50.  Received  |60.67. 
Returned  for  another  year.  Salary  |99.36. 
Again  sent  back.  Received  |102.97.  During  the 
year  1852-53  I  presided  over  the  whole  confer- 
ence which  then  embraced  the  work  in  Kentucky. 
1177.65.     The  next  year  was  returned  to  New 

283 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

Albany.  Salary  received,  |128.25.  Again  trav- 
eled New  Albany,  and  remained  until  March, 
when  I  was  elected  agent  of  Harts ville  Univer- 
sity in  which  position  I  labored  until  the  fall  of 
1856.  Eeceived  as  salary  for  the  two  years,  $400. 
The  year  1856-57  I  spent  at  Hartsville  school  as 
an  assistant.  Received  f  100.  For  the  year  1857- 
58  I  had  charge  of  Newburn  Circuit  and  Harts- 
ville Station.  Received  from  both  works,  |280. 
In  September,  1858,  I  was  sent  to  Missouri  as 
a  missionary.  Remained  until  1859.  Received 
f350.  From  September,  1859  to  1860  I  presided 
over  the  East  District  of  Indiana  Conference. 
Received  |216.'' 

This  brief  summary  of  service,  reaching  over 
a  period  of  sixteen  years,  might  easily  be  ex- 
panded into  a  volume  if  we  but  knev/  the  un- 
written history  of  those  years — the  labors  and 
privations,  the  battles  and  triumphs  which  came 
to  the  life  of  the  young  hero — making  it  so  val- 
uable to  the  Church  he  served. 

Mr.  Shuck  was  sent  by  the  Mission  Board  to 
southern  Missouri  late  in  1858.  The  Church 
there,  owing  to  the  slavery  agita- 
Missionary  Hon^  aud  Other  hindrances,  had 
made  but  little  progress.  He 
reached  the  field  in  time  to  attend  the  fifth  ses- 
sion of  the  conference,  which  met  October  first, 
at  the  residence  of  Jacob  Coblentz,  a  local 
preacher.  The  active  ministers  present  were  W. 
B.  Southard,  A.  P.  Floyed,  Bishop  Edwards,  and 
himself.  As  the  early  minutes  of  the  conference 
have  been  lost,  and  as  tliere  exists  some  confu- 

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United  Brcthroi  Home  Missionaries 

sion  as  to  the  first  meetings  of  this  body,  tliis 
item  taken  from  Mr.  Shnck's  diary,  which  Avas 
written  at  the  time,  may  prove  of  historic  value, 
since  it  gives  us  a  glimpse  of  the  work  in  those 
dark  days  which  no  other  records  seem  to  fur- 
nish. Mr.  Shuck  was  elected  presiding  elder, 
and  also  given  Saint  Aubert  Circuit.    The  year 

was  fraught  with  hardships  and 
*^*''**  perils.      His  first   quarterly   meet- 

mg  was  on  the  Ozark  Mission.  As 
he  made  notes  along  the  way,  it  might  be  well 
to  let  his  diary  tell  the  story.  No  one  will  ques- 
tion its  correctness: 

^^Monday,  November  22.  Though  the  morning 
was  disagreeable,  six  inches  of  snow  having  fal- 
len during  the  night,  I  started  to  the  first  quar- 
terly meeting  on  the  Ozark  Mission.  Reached 
Jefferson  City  a  little  after  noon,  where  I  got 
my  horse  shod,  and  then  journeyed  on  thirteen 
miles.     Tarried  all  night  with  a  member  of  the 

church.     The  next  morning  I  paid  my 

bill,  one  dollar,  and  continued  my  journey. 
About  two  o'clock  it  turned  quite  cold.  While 
I  was  going  through  a  prairie  I  Avas  sorely 
tempted  to  turn  back.  The  roads  were  so  bad, 
the  distance  still  so  great,  the  probability  that 
I  could  not  reach  the  place  in  good  season,  and 
that  bad  weather  would  prevent  a  good  attend- 
ance at  the  meeting,  were  reasons  so  clear  to  my 
mind  that  I  actually  turned  back  and  traveled  a 
short  distance  three  times.  But  when  I  consid- 
ered the  weakness  of  the  brethren  in  number,  the 
many  discouragements   under  which   they  had 

285 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

labored,  the  great  need  of  affording  them  aid, 
and  the  advantages  which  might  be  taken  of  my 
absence,  I  concluded  to  go  on.  The  wind  blew 
and  blew  and  continued  to  blow. 
A  Long  How  I  shivered !  but  on  I  went  to 

Trip 

Versailles.  The  morning  of  the 
24th  was  clear.  Old  Sol  arose  in  brightness  and 
glory.  Continued  my  journey.  Traveled  for  the 
day  thirty-eight  miles,  and  put  up  with  a  Mr. 
Davis.  Next  day  I  traveled  thirty-eight  miles, 
and  lodged  at  a  tavern  in  Boliver.  The  26th  con- 
tinued my  journey.  About  one  o'clock  it  began 
to  rain,  but  I  dared  not  stop.  Put  up  at  night 
three  miles  from  Greenfield.  The  2Tth  found  me 
still  going.  At  half-past  one  o'clock  I  reached 
Brother  J.  Terrell's — the  place  of  holding  the 
meeting." 

So  to  hold  a  quarterly  meeting  this  missionary 
traveled  from  Monday  morning  until  Saturday 
afternoon  through  snow  and  mud  and  storm — a 
distance,  probably,  of  two  hundred  miles.  This 
put  him  in  the  extreme  southwestern  part  of  the 
State.  What  the  financial  compensation  was  for 
this  trij),  and  all  the  work  connected  therewith, 
he  does  not  tell  us ;  but  he  does  mention  another 
instance  where  he  made  a  long  journey  at  a  cost 
of  |15,  and  received  only  $5  for  his  services. 

Because  of  his  anti-slavery  opinions  he  was 

closely  watched,  and  his  utterances  noted.     At 

one  time  a  certain  vigilance  com- 

ute  In  mittee  at  a  secret  meeting  had  his 

Danger  ^ 

name  under  consideration,  and  it 
was  proposed  by  a  leading  layman  of  another- 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

church  to  give  him  so  many  days  iu  which  to 
leave  the  State;  but  an  outsider  by  the  name  of 
Moore,  who  had  heard  him  preach,  opposed  such 
action  on  the  ground  that  Mr.  Shuck  was  a  good 
preacher  and  Christian  gentleman.  The  resolu- 
tion was  defeated. 

Mr.  Shuck's  travels  were  so  incessant,  and  the 
work  entailed  so  strenuous,  that  his  health  gave 
way,  which  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  resign 
at  the  end  of  the  year,  and  return  to  his  old  con- 
ference. But  the  Church  soon  laid  its  hands 
upon  him  for  mission  work  in  another  field. 

As  has  already  been  stated,  the  work  about 
this  time  in  California  and  Oregon  seemed  to 
justify  the  sending  of  a  man  there  to  superin- 
tend it;  accordingly  the  General  Conference  of 
1861  elected  him  Bishop  for  the  coast ;  but  owing 
to  the  excitement  and  uncertainties 
Elected  Bi«hop    causcd  by  the  Civil  War,  he  did  not 

for  Coast  *^  ^ 

get  away  until  midwinter  in  1864. 
The  voyage  from  New  York,  which  began  Feb- 
ruary 3,  lasted  thirty-five  days.  His  arrival  in 
the  far-away  land  was  an  occasion  of  great  joy. 
The  death  of  Israel  Sloan,  an  acknowl- 
edged leader,  had  greatly  disheartened  our  peo- 
ple and  preachers  in  California,  and  many 
doubted  whether  the  work  could  be  longer  sus- 
tained. Touching  the  coming  of  the  Bishop, 
C.  W.  Gillett,  a  worthy  preacher  of  the  confer- 
ence, made  the  following  entry  in  his  journal: 
^The  Harrow  Brothers  were  the  only  ones  in  the 
ministry  who  were  doing  anything  at  all  for  the 
cause,  consequently  when  the  Bishop  arrived  the 

287 


Our  Heroes^  or 

Church  was  almost  in  an  unorganized  state.  But 
a  change  Avas  soon  visible.  Letters  were  written 
from  friend  to  friend,  ^The  Bishop  has  come.' 
Those  who  had  been  predicting  the  certain  death 
of  the  Church,  changed  their  opinion,  while  the 
true  friends  of  the  cause  rejoiced,  and  deserters 
felt  like  returning  to  their  former  allegiance.'' 

At  the  conference  which  convened  the  11th  of 
the  following  November,  the  membership  in  Cal- 
ifornia was  reported  at  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
one.  Six  fields  of  labor  were  supplied,  and  one 
left  without  a  pastor.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  the 
Bishop  was  almost  constantly  visiting  the  local 
churches,  counseling  with  the  preachers,  show- 
ing them  what  and  how  to  do,  and  encouraging 
the  laity  to  be  faithful  and  loyal  to  the  Church. 

On  the  2()th  of  Jul}^  he  and  his  wife  started  in 
a  private  conveyance  for  Oregon.  Two  other 
families  accompanied  them.  They  traveled  dur- 
Pr^^  ing  the  day  and  camped  out  beneath 

California  thc  clouds  or  star-lit  dome  at  night, 

regon  They  were  ten  weeks  on  the  way, 

stopping  each  Sabbath  to  fill  appointments 
previously  arranged.  At  the  end  of  the  fourth 
week  he  spent  four  days  at  a  camp-meeting  near 
Oakland,  Oregon.  When  he  left,  the  meeting 
closed.  On  Thursday  morning,  August  23,  they 
all  met  about  the  altar  in  the  tabernacle  for  a 
final  handshake  and  farewell.  In  referring  to  it 
Mr.  Shuck  says:  "There  was  a  deep  feeling. 
After  we  had  taken  the  parting  hand  the  whole 
audience  was  stirred.  A  poor  backslider  talked. 
Tlie    interest    grew,    and    v/e   could    not    close. 

288 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Eleven  joined  the  Church,  and  as  many  were 
converted.--  This  was  pretty  good  for  a  closing 
service  on  a  week-day  morning.  During  the 
camp  thirty-one  united  with  the  Church. 

On  Thursday,  September  29,  the  Oregon  Con- 
ference met  in  Polk  County,  near  Salem,  the  cap- 
ital of  the  State.  The  attendance  was  small, 
only  nine  ministers  being  present. 
^**^^*  At  the  close  of  the  session  he  turned 

his  face  homeward,  visiting  on  his 
return  some  charges  missed  on  his  way  to  con- 
ference. This  trip  gave  him  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  work  in  Oregon,  as  he  preached  on 
nearly  every  field  in  the  conference  district. 

It  required  twenty-nine  days  to  make  the  trip 
back  to  California.  All  went  well  during  most 
of  the  journey.  On  the  fifth  day,  however,  be- 
fore reaching  home,  late  in  the  evening,  he  was 
attacked  by  two  robbers.  The  following  is  his 
account  of  it : 

"On  the  2Tth  of  October,  1864,  we  were  at- 
tacked by  two  highway  robbers  who  met  us  in 
the  way.  As  we  Avere  moving  along  slowly,  one  of 
them  seized  my  right  hand,  at  the  same  time  pre- 
senting his  revolver  at  my  breast 
Robbed  by         ^j^^  demaudiuff  my  monev  or  my 

Two   Men  ,   •  i  "tit 

life.  I  gave  him  what  money  I  had 
in  my  pocket ;  then  he  demanded  1113^  revolver.  I 
informed  him  that  I  did  not  carry  one.  After  he 
searched  me  and  satisfied  himself  that  I  had  told 
the  truth,  he  ordered  me  out  of  the  buggy,  tied 
my  arms  with  a  rope,  and  ordered  me  forward  to 
the  side  of  my  horse.     The  other  man  then  led 

289 


Our  Heroes,  or 

the  horse  about  one  hundred  yards  from  the  road 
into  a  basin.  The  one  in  charge  of  me  all  the 
time  held  his  revolver  near  my  breast.  When  at 
a  safe  distance  from  the  road,  my  wife  was  taken 
out  of  the  buggy  and  thoroughly  searched  for 
money.  Then  tlie  trunk  w^as  broken  open  and 
all  the  good  clothes  taken  out  of  it.  The  satchels 
were  also  robbed  of  whatever  was  considered 
valuable.  My  gold  Avatch  and  pocket-knife  were 
taken.  In  all,  they  robbed  us  of  more  than  f  100. 
Then  they  loosed  my  arms,  ordered  us  into  the 
buggy,  and  with  an  oath  told  us  to  drive  toward 
Oroville.  With  the  Butte  Mountains  to  guide  us 
in  our  course,  we  soon  rounded  into  the  main 
road  again,  and  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock  we 
arrived  at  Father  Boul ware's  where  we  received 
a  hearty  welcome.  Sixty  miles'  travel  this  day, 
robbed  of  all  our  good  clothing  and  money,  ex- 
cept five  dollars,  a  greenback  worth  two  dollars, 
closed  a  tour  of  more  than  1,500  miles  in  my  own 
conveyance  in  wearisome  journeyings  and  ardu- 
ous official  and  ministerial  labors  in  the  cause 
of  the  Master.  Thanks  be  to  God  for  his  sustain- 
ing grace." 

When    the    Cascade    (now    Columbia    River) 

Conference  was  organized  in  1865,  his  field  was 

enlarged  by   several   hundred   miles.      He  even 

served   as   presiding   elder   in   the 

Serves  as  jj^^y  Conference  a  part  of  one  vear, 

Presiding  E]lder  ,  .     ,  ^  ^^      .  .     .  .     ' 

that  he  might  add  to  its  ministerial 
force,  and  thus  make  its  growth  more  certain 
and  rapid.  During  his  superintendency  of  the 
coast  work,  from  1864  to  1869,  his  salary  aver- 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missmnaries 

aged,  yearly,  $608.50.     What  an  unselfish  life 
was  his !    Awa}-  from  kindred  and  friends  of  his 

youth,  in  peril  among  savages  and 
Royal  Service     higliwa}- uieu,  at  tiuie^  not  having 

even  the  ordinary  comforts  of  life 
— all  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Church 
he  loved.  Angels  smile  when  such  a  picture 
passes  before  them. 

On  the  second  of  November,  1900,  this  royal 
knight  of  the  Cross  fought  and  won  his  last  bat- 
tle, and  then,  sheathing  his  sword,  and  putting 
aside  the  insignia  of  war,  he  took  up  the  victor's 
crown  to  wear  it  forever. 

"Thy  saints  in  all  this  glorious  war, 
Shall  conquer  though  they  die; 
They  see  the  triumph  from  afar, 
By  faith  they  bring  it  nigh." 


291 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

Pioneer  Work  in  Oregon. 

Pioneer  work  in  Oregon  has  continued  from 
its  earliest  settlement  down  to  the  present  time. 
As  emigrants  pushed  their  way  farther  and 
farther  back  into  the  valleys  and  mountains, 
gospel  messengers  accompanied  them,  or  soon 
followed,  organizing  Sunday  schools  and  reli- 
gious societies,  and  in  various  ways  made  them- 
selves useful  in  building  up  communities  of 
sterling  character  and  worth.  Some  of  the  pas- 
tors there  to-day  manifest  by  their  faith  and  toil 
just  as  much  chivalry  as  did  the  fathers  who 
crossed  the  Rockies  a  half-century  ago. 

J.    KENOYER 

In  1853,  the  year  the  Missionary  Society  was 
organized,  J.  Kenoyer,  of  Indiana,  with  a 
number  of  families,  crossed  the  plains  and  moun- 
tains into  Oregon.  What  the  colony  possessed 
of  earthly  goods  was  conveyed  in  wagons.  The 
journey  was  long  and  exhausting.  A  false  guide 
led  them  far  out  of  the  way,  which  caused  many 
weeks  of  unnecessary  travel,  a  part 

A   Journey   of       ^f    ^^^    ^Jj^^g    ^y^j.    ^   ^^g^jl    which    UO 
Many   Months 

white  man's  foot  seemed  ever  to 
have  pressed.  The  starvation  point  was  so 
nearly  reached  by  a  part  of  the  company,  that 
they  actually  ate  the  bacon  rinds  which  they 
had  saved  for  use  in  manufacturing  soap  when 
they  should  reach  their  destination.     Occasion- 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

ally  they  bought  salmon  of  Indian  traders,  but 
it  was  old  and  musty.  Then  their  flour  gave  out, 
and  for  months,  even  after  they  had  got  settled,^ 
there  was  not  a  dust  in  their  poverty-stricken 
homes.  This  is  the  testimony  of  one  of  the  com- 
pany yet  living. 

Though  the  trip  Was  undertaken  in  March,  it 
was  December  before  the  Willamette  Valley, 
their  objective  point,  was  finally  reached  by  all 
the  colonists.  We  have  no  means  of  ascertaining 
what  these  chevaliers  received  by  way  of  sup- 
port for  the  first  year,  though  something  was 
furnished  by  the  White  Kiver  and  Scioto  con- 
ferences, but  it  is  evident  that  they  did  much 
preaching.  By  the  time  the  Board  met  the  fol- 
lowing June,  a  quarterly  conference  had  been 
organized,  and  progress  reported. 

While  the  General  Society  made  appropri- 
ations from  year  to  year,  as  its  depleted  treas- 
ury would  permit,  the  salaries  of  the  missionaries 
were  so  inadequate  that  they  were  compelled  to 
engage  in  secular  work  at  times  to  keep  soul 
and  bod}^  together.  Mr.  Kenoyer 
Hard  Times  ^.^^g  knowu  to  make  rails  at  one 
dollar  per  hundred,  and  at  the 
same  time  pay  ten  dollars  per  hundred  for  flour, 
in  order  to  provide  for  a  family  of  seven.  For 
many  years  he  gave  the  best  of  his  time  and 
strength  to  the  work  in  western  Oregon,  seeking 
out  new  appointments,  holding  camp-meetings, 
and  caring  for  the  churches.  By  the  time  the 
conference  was  organized  others  had  come  in  to 
strengthen  the  forces,  and  to  share  the  respon- 

293 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

sibilities  and  hardships  of  the  new  field.  Prom- 
inent among  these  was  J.  Harriett  who  wrought 
nobly  in  the  beginning  of  the  Avork. 

When  the  Cascade  (now  Columbia  River) 
Conference  was  organized  in  1865,  Mr.  Kenoyer 
was  present  and  elected  as  its  first  presiding 
elder,  which  enabled  the  preachers  and  people 
to  enjoy  the  benefits  of  his  pulpit  ministrations, 
and  ripe  experience  in  pioneer  work.  J.  J. 
Gallaher  tells  of  meeting  the  old  hero  late  one 
evening  near  where  the  town  of  Foster  now 
stands,  on  the  Umatilla  River.  He  was  afoot, 
with  saddle-bags  across  his  shoulder.  When 
asked  where  he  was  going  at  such  an  hour,  he 
replied,  "To  the  camp-meeting  up  in  the  Walla 
Walla  Valley,  and  I  thought  I 
Excessive  would  rather  travel  at  night  as  it 

Privations  .  ,         ,,        t-t        i        t        i 

IS  SO  much  cooler.^'  He  had  al- 
ready walked  a  long  distance,  and  now,  having 
rested  a  day  or  two,  was  starting  out  upon  an- 
other eighty-mile  jaunt.  As  he  would  have  to 
journey  half  this  distance  before  seeing  a  resi- 
dence, he  was  further  asked  where  he  Avould  stop 
to  rest.  "When  I  get  too  tired  to  go  any 
farther,"  he  said,  "I  will  lie  down  under  the  sage- 
brush and  take  a  nap." 

This  illustrates  what  itinerating  meant  on  the 
coast  fifty  years  ago.  Others  besides  Mr.  Ken- 
oyer were  subjected  to  the  same  hardships  and 
dangers,  and  perhaps  as  willingly  made  that  self- 
surrender  to  the  work  of  God  which  the  exigen- 
cies of  the  hour  demanded.  To  just  such  lives 
the  Church  owes  its  success. 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Mr.  Ken  oyer  was  a  pulpiteer  of  marked  abil- 
ity. Though  not  a  college  man,  he  was  a  close 
and  constant  student  of  men  and  books,  and 
knew  how  to  utilize  what  he  read.  His  fame 
spread  far  and  Avide.  Soon  after  reaching  Ore- 
gon he  spent  a  Sabbath  on  a  Methodist  camp- 
ground. The  meeting  was  in  charge  of  T. 
H.  Pern,  a  presiding  elder.  When 
At  3ietho,iist      ^qI^i  tij.^^  Kenoyer,  of  the  United 

Camp-Meeting       ,,       ,,  ^,  \        ^  .        ,,  -, . 

Brethren  Church,  was  m  the  audi- 
ence, he  requested  him  to  come  into  the  pulpit 
and  close  the  service.  The  preacher  in  home- 
spun, however,  preferred  to  sit  at  the  root  of  a 
tree  some  distance  away,  where  he  could  look  the 
speaker  in  the  face;  but  promised  to  come  for- 
ward at  the  proper  time  and  take  the  meeting 
in  hand.  The  sermon  was  eloquent  and  convin- 
cing. When  Mr.  Kenoyer  arose  every  eye  was 
upon  him.  He  was  in  the  very  prime  of  a  well- 
developed  manhood,  straight  as  an  Indian,  with 
coal-black  hair  hanging  well  down  around  his 
neck  and  shoulders.  His  suit  was  threadbare 
from  long  usage.  Finally,  he  began,  and  as  he 
Avarmed  up  in  his  exhortation  he  poured  forth 
such  a  torrent  of  argument  and  pleading  and 
warning  that  the  people  were  overwhelmed. 
The    presiding    elder    shouted    "Amen,''    saints 

clapped  their  hands  for  joy,  while 
t  r**!!*!^"^        sinners  wept  and  cried  to  Heaven 

Exhortation  -l 

for  mercy.  At  last  he  leaped  out 
of  the  pulpit  onto  the  ground,  still  inviting  the 
unsaved  to  come  about  the  altar  in  quest  of  sal- 
vation.    It  was  a  thrilling  moment  and  one  of 

295 


Our  Heroes^  or 

victory,  for  that  morning  forty  persons  bowed  in 
prayer  at  tlie  sacred  place. 

How  some  of  these  veterans  could  preach! 
Their  commission  and  message  Avere  divine. 
^^Thus  saith  the  Lord"  was  the  basis  of  every 
sermon.  It  is  not  strange,  then,  that  preaching 
with  such  a  genesis  should  end  in  an  apocalypse 
of  Jesus  Christ — a  vision  of  him  crucified,  risen, 
and  glorified. 

At  this  early  period  there  were  no  railroads  in 
Oregon,  and  but  few  w^ere  able  to  afford  a  car- 
riage. Preachers  did  not  fall  in  this  class.  Some 
traveled  on  horseback;  others  walked.  It  was 
no  uncommon  thing  to  meet  a  gospel  herald  Vvith 
an  ax  on  his  shoulder,  not  as  a  weapon  of  de- 
fense, but  carried  for  the  purpose 
Crossing  ^f    felling    trees    across    swollen 

streams  ^ 

streams  on  which  he  might  pass 
over.  If  no  tree  could  be  found,  he  would  wade 
or  swim  and,  after  landing  safely,  build  a  fire 
under  a  fir  tree  and  camp  for  the  night,  or  long- 
enough  to  dry  his  clothing. 

No  wonder  such  men  enjoyed  preaching  the 
word  when  opportunity  was  presented;  and  no 
wonder  the  people  loved  them,  and  were  charmed 

by  their  rugged  eloquence.  They 
Happy  in  were  supremely  happy.     No  glory 

equaled  that  of  the  Cross.  Occa- 
sionally they  came  down  to  bread  and  water,  but 
the^^  ate  and  drank  with  cheerfulness.  They 
could  say,  ''All  this — and  Christ,"  as  did  the  old 
lady  when  she  held  up  before  Bishop  Burnett  a 
crust  of  bread. 

296 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

"No  foot  of  land  do   I   possess, 
No  cottage  in  this  wilderness," 

made  music  when  sung  by  these  veterans  in  serv- 
ice. Yes,  music  Avhich  awoke  echoes  amid  moun- 
tain fastness,  or,  like  an  J^olian  Harp,  broke 
the  silence  of  the  plains,  and  charmed  the  lone 
traveler  in  search  of  a  resting-i)lace. 

Happy  are  they  who  can  chisel  out  of  circum- 
stances, made  adverse  by  poverty  and  affliction, 
monuments  as  enduring  as  immortality  itself. 

It  is  deserving  of  mention  here  that  the  Ore- 
gon Conference  received  no  help  whatever  from 
the  General  Board  from  1865  to  1873 — a  fact 
which  greatly  complicated  and  hindered  its  work 
and  threatened  its  very  existence. 

C.    C.   BELL 

It  was  on  the  seventh  of  December,  1882,  that 
C.  0.  Bell  reached  Philomath,  Oregon,  wet 
and  muddy,  having  walked  six  miles  from  Cor- 
vallis  through  rain  and  mud  and  pitch  darkness. 
He  had  journeyed  all  the  way  from  his  Indiana 
home  for  the  purpose  of  entering  the  ministry  of 
Oregon  Conference,  and  of  aiding  to  the  fullest 
extent  possible  in  laying  broader  and  deeper  the 
foundations  of  the  Church  in  the  coast  regions. 
As  if  to  break  in  the  newcomer,  the  elder  ap- 
pointed him  pastor  of  Philomath 
Early  Circuit.     Though  the  charge  was  a 

hundred  miles  long,  it  did  not  con- 
tain a  United  Brethren,  or  a  house  of  worship 
of  any  description.  Before  the  year  closed,  how- 
ever, conditions  had  changed.     A  number  of  re- 

297 


Our  Heroes,  or 

vivais  were  held,  and  three  classes  organized. 
His  cash  compensation  was  seven  dollars. 

His  second  year  was  spent  near  Oregon  City. 
Having  no  means  of  conveyance,  he  traveled  the 
charge  on  foot,  walking  usually  twenty  miles  on 
Sunday,  preaching  twice  and  holding  two  class- 
meetings.  Not  having  time  to  stop  with  any  one 
for  dinner,  he  carried  his  own  lunch  with  him, 
which  he  ate  as  he  hurried  from  one  point  to  an- 
other. His  wife  also  did  much 
Wife  Walks  walking  in  her  endeavor  to  assist 
the  inexperienced  itinerant.  Dur- 
ing one  of  his  meetings  she  walked  four  miles 
every  night  for  two  weeks,  and  every  night  it 
rained.  For  this  year's  service,  including  do- 
nations, they  received  |76.85.  Small  pay,  to  be 
sure;  but  on  the  other  hand  they  had  some 
blessed  experiences  which  were  of  more  value  to 
them  than  gold.  At  times  they  did  not  have 
enough  money  to  buy  a  postage-stamp ;  but  they 
lived. 

Mr.  Bell's  next  field  was  Vancouver,  in  Wash- 
ington. "On  this  charge,"  he  writes,  "we  were 
blessed  with  great  revivals,  and  over  a  hundred 
accessions  to  the  Church,  yet  our  support  was 
very  meager.  At  one  time  we  had  eaten  all  the 
food  in  the  house,  and  being  shut  in  by  one  of 
the  heaviest  snows  and  sleets  the 
*^"i  "J^  ^,*****^        country  had  ever  known,  and  hav- 

and    Fuel  "^  " 

ing  burned  all  the  wood  we  could 
find,  we  were  compelled  to  seek  shelter  else- 
where. Putting  Mrs.  Bell  on  our  pony,  I  led  the 
way,  breaking  the  heavy  snow-crust,  and  so  we 

298 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

made  a  trip  of  six  miles  to  a  Methodist  home, 
where  we  were  cared  for  over  night.  The  fol- 
lowing day  we  went  two  miles  farther  to  some 
of  our  own  members  where  we  remained  nearly 
a  month. '^ 

During  his  first  five  years  in  Oregon  his  sup- 
port, including  the  small  missionary  appropri- 
ations, did  not  aggregate  more  than  $600.  In  all 
these  years  he  did  not  live  once  in  a  parsonage, 
or  own  a  horse  and  buggy.  All  he  could  claim, 
and  that  only  a  part  of  the  time,  was  a  pony  and 
a  cart. 

"When  presiding  elder,"  he  says,  "I  found  the 

work  difficult  and  exhausting.    The  district  was 

over  five  hundred  miles  long.  Some 
A  Presiding        ^f^  ^^^  ^^.^pg  ^f^  fj,^^^  ^]^^  railroad 

Elder  ^ 

were  as  follows :  From  Sheridan  to 
Tillamook,  sixty  miles ;  to  Tigh  from  The  Dalles, 
forty  miles ;  from  Roseburg  to  Marshfield,  eighty- 
five  miles;  from  Melford  to  Waldo,  forty  miles. 
The  hardest  trips  were  those  to  Marshfield  and 
Tillamook,  which  involved  the  crossing  of  the 
Coast  Eauge  Mountains.  No  one  unaccustomed 
to  these  mountains  can  know  what  it  is  to  cross 
them  in  winter  time." 

In  his  earlier  experiences  he  recalls  a  memor- 
able night  which  was  spent  all  alone  and  away 

from  human  habitations.    He  says : 

A  Memorable  a|^  ^^,^^  ^  lonelv  uight,  with  the 
flight  "^  ^       ^ 

roaring,  lashing  waves  of  the  Pa- 
cific on  one  side,  and  the  wilds  of  the  coast  land 
on  the  other.  Several  times  during  the  night  I 
had  to  pull  off  my  shoes,  roll  up  my  trousers, 

299 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

and  wade  the  streams  which  cross  the  beach  into 
the  ocean.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  fell 
in  company  with  a  man,  and  twice  took  him  on 
my  back  and  carried  him  across  the  creeks.'' 

Mr.  Bell  kept  a  record  of  the  more  than  three 

hundred  quarterly  meetings  he  held  during  the 

years  of  his  eldership.     Here  are  a  few  items 

which  show  what  his  men  under- 

How  Pastors      wcut  iu  Order  to  serve  their  chars,- 

Fared  *^ 

es,  and  thus  help  on  the  work  of 
the  conference:  "Roseburg  Mission — J.  L.  Tay- 
lor, pastor;  members,  twenty-four;  appropri- 
ation, $60  for  the  year.  Salary — first  quarter, 
14.79 ;  second  quarter,  |6.28 ;  third  quarter  |9.87 ; 
fourth  quarter,  |31.21.  Irving  Circuit — F.  H. 
Neff,  pastor;  members,  one  hundred  and  five. 
Salary — first  quarter,  f  18.98;  second  quarter, 
134.20;  third  quarter,  |53.64;  fourth  quarter, 
$90.68."  Though  this  pastor  had  a  large  family 
to  provide  for,  and  in  point  of  ability  was  able 
to  fill  any  pulpit  in  the  Church,  yet  his  pay  in 
dollars  and  cents  up  to  and  including  the  last 
quarterly  only  amounted  to  |197.50. 

Here  follows  a  college  and  seminary  graduate 
of  character  and  ability.  "Philomath  Station — 
B.  E.  Emerick,  pastor.  Salary — first  quarter, 
$27.64;  second  quarter,  $74.45;  third  quarter, 
$43.  39;  fourth  quarter,  $59.88.  No  appropria- 
tion." 

The  foregoing  fields  fairly  represent  the  sup- 
port obtained  by  our  workers  in  Oregon  only  a 
few  years  ago,  and  which  is  but  little,  if  any 
better  at  present  with  many  of  them. 

300 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

The  presiding  elder's  report  in  1900  shows 
that  the  office  did  not  have  much  in  it  except 
hard  work,  and  a  growing  responsibility.  Here 
it  is:  ''Quarterlies  held,  sixty-five;  sermons 
preached,  one  hundred  and  forty;  salary  re- 
ceived, |646;  miles  traveled,  13,800;  traveling 
expenses,  f  153. 50;  stationery  and  rent,  $95;  net 
salary,  |39T.50.-' 

Bishop  N.  Castle,  in  a  communication  to  the 

Missionarv  Board  in  1883,  makes  the  following 

touching  statement  respecting  the 

Bishop  Castle's  ^oast  work :  "Ministers  are  turn- 
Testimony 

ing  aside  year  after  year  to  some 

secular  calling  in  order  to  supplement  a  deficient 
salary.  We  have  sustained  losses  the  past  year, 
and  anticipate  losses  the  coming  year  from  the 
same  cause.  There  is  something  stern  in  these 
necessities.  All  one  has  to  do  to  test  it  is  to 
come  down  to  the  same  plane  with  tliese  men. 
It  is  not  a  salary  of  |1,000  that  they  ask,  but 
simply  for  food  and  clothing.  Are  they  not 
worthy  of  this?  How  the  hearts  of  these  lone 
missionaries  are  touched  and  stirred  as  they  look 
out  upon  the  awful  destitution  to  be  seen  on 
every  hand — a  destitution  both  spiritual  and 
financial.^' 

A  VETERAN^S  TESTIMONY 

An  old  warrior  writing  from  Oregon  declares 
that  none  on  the  coast  has  suffered  more  than 
those  who  have  stood  identified  with  Philomath 
College.  ''These  men,"  he  says,  "were  able  to 
fill  lucrative  positions,  in  or  out  of  the  Churcli, 

301 


Our  Heroes,  or 

but  did  not  seek  tliem.  Though  their  salaries 
ranged  only  from  |350  to  |500  a  year,  they  stood 
true  to  the  educational,  and  other  vital  interests 
of  the  denomination  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Are 
not  such  heroes  worthy  of  the  highest  praise  and 
appreciation  the  Church  can  give? 

"Among  the  many  faithful,  devoted  men  with 
whom  I  have  served,  I  must  mention  H.  S. 
Epperly.  He  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Mark 
Twain's,  when  engaged  in  news- 
A  Noble  Hero  paper  work  in  Nevada.  In  natural 
intellect  and  wit  he  was  not  far  be- 
hind the  famous  humorist.  His  life  was  mostly 
spent  in  sin,  not  being  converted  until  fifty-five 
years  of  age.  When  saved  he  did  not  confer 
with  ^flesh  and  blood,'  but  at  once  placed  his 
property  on  God's  altar,  and  used  it  to  sustain 
the  work  until  all  was  consumed.  Soon  after 
entering  upon  the  ^new  life,'  he  left  his  home  in 
northern  Idaho,  and,  with  his  wife,  drove  a  team 
five  hundred  miles  over  rough  mountain  roads 
to  Myrtle  Point,  Oregon,  where  he  had  a  number 
of  relatives  and  friends  whom  he  wished  to  lead 
to  his  new-found  Savior.  His  mission  was  a 
glorious  success.  Not  only  were  the  special  ob- 
jects of  his  concern  saved,  but  nearly  all  the  com- 
munity^ as  well,  and  brought  into  the  Church. 
Our  entire  work  in  Coquelle  and  Coos  counties 
is  largely  due  to  this  man's  self-sacrificing  min- 
istry. 

"After  a  few  years  he  went  to  Waldo,  a  rich 
mining  district,  where  he  had  other  friends  in 
whom  he  was  particularly  interested.    Here  also 

302 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

he  had  great  revivals  and  organized  two  church- 
es. From  this  field  he  made  his  last  trip  to  con- 
Kow  He  ference,    traveling    over    five    hun- 

Reaehed  drcd  milcs  in  private  conveyance. 

Conference         rp|j^  poor  man  was  too  sick  much 

of  the  time  to  care  for  his  team,  or  to  drive  it, 
but  his  faithful  wife  was  always  at  his  side,  and 
proved  equal  to  every  task.  She  not  only  looked 
after  his  horse  and  buggy,  but  preached  for  him 
when  he  was  unable  to  fill  his  engagements. 

^'My  last  visit  with  the  dear  brother  was  in 
his  little  parsonage,  a  board  shack,  by  the  side 
of  a  miner's  ditch  forty  miles  from  any  railroad. 
He  was  then  nearing  the  end,  but  was  happy  in 
the  thought  that  he  would  soon  exchange  his 
humble  home  for  'a  mansion  in  the  skies.'  "  And 
so  he  died.    He  could  sing, 

"Let  me  go,  for  bliss  eternal 

Lures  my  soul  away,  away; 
And  the  victor's  song  triumphant 
Thrills  my  heart — I  cannot  stay." 


303 


LESSON  VII. 


Chaptbk  XXV. 

1.  Give  brief  history  of  early  work  in  Nebraslia. 

2.  Outline  tlie   life  of  W.    P.   Caldwell,   his   methods  of   work, 
revivals,  salary,  service  as  presiding  elder,  etc. 

3.  Can  you  i-ecall  his  son's  testimony? 

4.  How  did  the  conference  honor  him  at  last? 

5.  Tell  the  story  of   S.   Austin. 

6.  Also  of   E.   W.   Johnson. 

7.  Did  the  Church  move  westward?     Tell  about  it. 

8.  Did  the  missionaries  suffer? 

9.  What   liave   you   to   say   of   George   Fembers,    his   work   and 
death  at  the  hands  of  Indians?     Describe  the  last  scene. 


Chapter  XXVI. 

1.  Who  was  the  first  missionary  to  California,  and  when  did 
he  go? 

2.  When  was  the  first  conference  held,  and  what  the  outlook? 

3.  How    far    did    Missionary    Sloan   have    to    move,    and   what 
trials  beset  him  on  the  way? 

4.  What  dangers   confronted  him,   and  what  was  the  affliction 
that  came  to  his  home? 

5.  How   Gild   he   come  to   his   death?     Give  the   circumstances 
in   detail. 

6.  Tell  of  his  triumphant  death. 


Chapter  XXVII. 

1.  When  and  where  was  D.  Shuck  born,  and  when  did  he  en- 
ter the  Church   and   ministry  ? 

2.  Briefly  outline  his  career  from  1844  to  1858. 

3.  Tell  of  his  work  in  Missouri  and  trace  him  on  the  district. 

4.  When  and  for  what  purpose  did  he  go  to  the  coast?     Ex- 
plain the  nature  of  his  work. 

5.  Describe  his  trip  to  Oregon  in  a  buggy,  the  camp-meetings 
visited,  the  holding  of  Oregon  Conference,  and  his  return. 

6.  Where  and  how  was  he  robbed  on  this  trip? 

7.  What  was  his  support? 

8.  When  was  he  translated? 

9.  What  special  points  or  characteristics  in  the  lives  of  these 
two  heroes  impress  you  as  most  valuable? 

Chapter  XXVIII. 

1.  Divide    the    hardships    endured    by    the    colonists    in    their 
journey  to  Oreeron. 

2.  What  did  J.  Kenoyer  do  to  help  support  his  family  ? 
8.      What   did   he   do   for   Western    Oregon? 

4.  What  was  his  relation  later  with  Cascade  Conference? 

5.  What  does  Mr.  Gallaher  say  about  him? 

6.  What  of  his  pulpit  ability?     Tell  about  his  visit  to  camp- 
meeting. 

7.  "iTow  did  the  preachers  travel  ? 

8.  Were   the   pioneers   happv   in   their   work? 

9.  Tell    some   of   C.    C.    Bell's   early   experiences,    his   support, 
travels,  etc. 

10.  How   did   his   pastors   fare  when   he   was   presiding  elder? 
What  of  his  own  work  and  support? 

11.  How  did  Bishop  Castle  view  the  field? 

3  2.     WHiat  is  snid  about  the  teachers  in  Philomath  College? 

13.  Give  something  of  H.  S.  Epperly's  life. 

14.  What  of  his  last  days? 

304 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Columhia  River  Conference  Heroes. 

A  brother  writes :  '^Seldom,  if  ever,  in  modern 
times,  has  it  fallen  to  the  lot  of  ministers  to  suf- 
fer more  among  civilized  people  than  have  the 
representatives  of  the  United  Brethren  Church 
in  far-away  Columbia  Eiver,  first  known  as 
Osage  Conference/' 

While  the  Missionary  Board  was  sadly  lim- 
ited in  funds,  and  could  give  but  little  aid  to  its 
workers,  it  must  be  remembered  that  those 
among  whom  they  labored  were  also  pioneers, 
and  consequently  unable  to  support  their  pas- 
tor in  anything  like  a  creditable  manner.  Under 
such  conditions  the  best  and 
Trying  strouojest     prcaclicrs     were     com- 

Circumstances  c-i  x 

pelled,  at  times,  to  turn  aside  to 
secular  pursuits.  Other  denominations,  who 
understood  better  than  we  the  value  of  home 
missions,  and  who  contributed  largely  to  the 
same,  were  able  to  keep  their  missionaries  in  the 
field.  By  so  doing,  they  steadil}^  grew,  and  with 
their  growth  their  claims  upon  United  Brethren 
were  greatly  strengthened;  for,  if  they  erected 
churches  in  which  to  worship,  and  provided  par- 
sonages, and  an  adequate  material  support  for 
their  preachers,  did  they  not  have  a  right  to  ex- 
pect the  sympathy  and  assistance  of  those  to 
whom  they  ministered?     Is  it  not  natural  for 

305 


Our  Heroes,  or 

Christians  to  go  where  their  spiritual  needs  are 
supplied? 

The  first  United  Brethren  missionary  to 
Washington  Territory  was  William  Daugh- 
erty.  He  was  sent  from  Oregon 
wash/rto''  Conference  in  1863.  At  that  time 
the  settlements  were  few  and 
widely  separated.  A  person  might  have  trav- 
eled a  whole  day,  and  in  some  directions  for 
days,  over  mountains  or  along  winding  rivers, 
without  seeing  a  house,  or  a  single  human  being. 
After  searching  out  the  country  for  a  year  or 
more,  Mr.  Daugherty  returned  to  Oregon,  and 
reported  the  outlook,  which  led  the  conference 
to  send  another  worker  in  the  person  of 
Washington  Adams. 

The  first  missionary,  however,  was  not  per- 
mitted to  return.  During  one  of  his  long  rides 
through  a  desert  place  where  no  water  could  be 
had,  he  became  so  thirsty  that  when  he  did  find 
water  he  drank  too  much,  and  in  a  few  weeks 
died  from  the  effects.  But  his  end 
Victory  in  ^.^g  peace.     That  faith  which  had 

so  characterized  him  in  his  life- 
work,  was  all  victorious  when  the  last  solemn 
ordeal  came,  enabling  him  to  shout,  "Stars  in 
my  crown !  stars  in  my  crown !" 

When  Mr.  Adams  saw  the  greatness  of  the 
new  country,  and  the  absolute  need  of  reinforce- 
ments, he  appealed  to  the  presiding  elder  of 
Oregon  Conference,  J.  Kenoyer,  to  come  to 
his  assistance.  The  old  hero  not  only  heard,  but 
heeded  the  Macedonian  cry,  and  in  a  few  weeks 

306 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

was  on  the  ground  ready  for  whatever  might 
come  in  the  line  of  duty.  Later  these  workers 
were  joined  by  O.  Osborn,  S.  Coston,  and  J.  J. 
Gallaher,  the  last  named  being  a  quarterly-con- 
ference preacher. 

In  1865  Bishop  Shuck  organized  the  Cascade 
Conference,  with  three  missions.  Kenoyer  was 
Cascade  elected    presiding    elder.      Walla 

Conference         Walla  and  Touchct  missions  were 

Organized  gi^^^      ^^      g       CostOn,      with      J.      J. 

Gallaher  as  assistant.  Umatilla  was  left  un- 
supplied,  but  Avas  blessed  through  the  winter 
with  the  labors  of  the  elder  who,  having  visited 
it,  was  snow-bound  for  many  weeks. 

In  speaking  of  the  early  years  of  the  confer- 
ence, J.  J.  Gallaher  says  the  fields  of  labor 
were  exceedingly  large,  extending  from  fifty  to 
one  hundred  miles,  and  that  in  making  long 
trips  in  mid- winter  he  more  than  once  froze  his 
hands  and  face.  His  first  year's  salary  was 
$150;  the  next  |45,  while  the  third  year  it  was 
pushed  up  again  to  fl08.  By  way  of  supple- 
menting this  pittance  he  taught  a  class  or  two 
in  vocal  music.  He  was  compelled  to  do  some- 
thing besides  preaching.  And  so  were  all  his 
brethren. 

J.    S.   RHOADS 

Many  items  connected  with  the  early  work  of 
this  conference,  which,  we  are  sure,  will  interest 
the  reader,  are  furnished  by  J.  S.  Rhoads. 
Himself  converted  at  a  great  camp-meeting  on 
the  coast,  and  licensed  to  preach  in  1868  by 

307 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

Bishop  Shuck,  his  observations  and  experiences 
reaching  back  nearly  forty  years,  will  prove 
most  helpful  and  instructive  to  the  student  of 
pioneer  days. 

Mr.  Khoads  married  the  third  daughter  of 
J.  Kenoyer,  and  so  is  able  to  furnish  im- 
portant data  respecting  his  father-in-law,  which 
is  noted  under  another  heading.  It  is  exceed- 
ingly fortunate  for  many  a  preacher  that  his 
wife  grew  up  in  a  minister's  home,  having  been 
thus  prepared  for  the  peculiar  trials  and  respon- 
sibilities of  a  life  so  very  impor- 
A  Faithful  ^^j^^  ^Q  ^Y^Q  Church.     Speakino^  of 

Wife 

his  wife,  Mr.  Rhoads  says:  "She 
began  life  as  the  daughter  of  a  minister,  and 
will  die  the  wife  of  one.  For  the  Church  she 
has  done  much,  suffered  much,  and  sacrificed  all. 
She  has  gone  with  me  through  all  these  years  on 
and  ux)."  What  a  beautiful  and  justly  merited 
tribute  to  a  helper  so  faithful  and  devoted. 

One  of  the  early  and  most  devoted  mission- 
aries to  Oregon  and  Washington  was  Wil- 
liam Gallaher,  a  native  of  Illinois.  For  many 
years  the  echo  of  his  stentorian  voice  was  heard 
among  the  mountains  of  the  coast,  and  the  scat- 
tered churches,  many  of  them  weak  and  dis- 
pirited, were  thrilled  and  encour- 
HefI*Jp'*  aged  by  his  presence  and  person- 

ality. Mr.  Rhoads  refers  to  him  as 
"one  of  the  safest  counselors,  soundest  Bible 
preachers,  and  most  successful  revivalist  con- 
nected with  the  early  history  of  the  Columbia 
River  work.     God  endowed  him  with  splendid 

308 


United  Brethren  Home  Jlissioiiaries 

gifts  as  a  minister,  and  gave  him  a  definite  re- 
ligious experience  preparatory  to  his  career  as 
a  gospel  pioneer.  After  long  years  of  service  his 
testimony  is :  ^'I  have  i^reached  in  this  field  when 
the  laborers  were  few.  If  my  memory  serves 
me  well,  there  were  two  years  when  the  presid- 
ing elder  and  myself  were  the  only  men  in  the 
vrork.  We  preached  amid  great  difficulties,  and 
endured  great  hardships." 

Such  were  the  experiences  of  many  others. 
We  regret  very  much  that  for  want  of  space  all 
the  worthies  of  early  times,  both  East  and  West, 
cannot  be  mentioned  in  this  volume. 

When  one  of  the  pastors  returned  home,  after 

a  long  absence,  he  found  the  fare  of  the  family 

reduced  to  potatoes.    When  he  sat 

Dowa  to  down  to  the  frusral  repast  he  was 

Potatoes  ^  ^ 

SO  overcome  that  he  could  not  eat. 
Turning  to  his  companion  in  sacrifice  he  said : 
"Wife,  I  can't  stand  this  any  longer.  I  can  do 
better  for  you  and  the  babies  by  quitting  the  pul- 
pit and  working  with  my  hands."  The  answer 
was  just  what  might  have  been  expected  from 
an  angel  of  God.  "No,  dear,  no.  I'd  rather  live 
on  bread  and  water  than  have  you  give  up  your 
work." 

One  of  the  presiding  elders  was  so  sickened 
over  the  hardships  of  his  pastors  and  their  fam- 
ilies that  he  resigned  his  office,  and  refused  to 
serve  longer.  It  was  hard  to  keep  men  at  work 
under  such  conditions.  The  wonder  is  that  any 
stayed.  Only  those  who  were  under  the  "woe  is 
me  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel"  remained  long  to 

309 


Our  Heroes,  or 

fight  against  the  tremendous  odds  which  con- 
fronted them. 

One  of  the  preachers  during  a  long  journey 
"fell  among  thieves'^  and  narrowly  escaped  with 
his  life.  The  objective  point  was  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  miles  distant.  The  first  day  he 
traveled  on  mule-back  fifty  miles,  and  slept  in 
the  open  with  his  saddle  for  a  pillow,  and  his 
blanket  for  a  bed.  The  next  night 
Amongr  ]jg  lodged  in  a  haymow,  owned  by  a 

Thieves  ,  ^  J  i  J 

highwayman  of  the  worst  sort.  He 
and  two  Indians,  a  little  while  before,  as  was 
learned  afterwards,  had  robbed  a  cattle-buver  of 
a  large  sum  of  money  and  ultimately  were  sent 
to  prison  for  the  crime. 

Before  daylight  the  next  morning  the  preacher 
was  out  and  on  his  way,  little  thinking,  perhaps, 
of  any  danger  that  might  befall  him.  Two  miles 
distant,  as  he  approached  the  banks  of  the  Col- 
umbia Kiver,  his  mule  suddenly  dashed  out  of 
the  road,  and  made  a  circuit  of  a  hundred  yards, 
or  more,  before  reentering  the  highway.     The 

rider  was  puzzled  to  understand 
Waylaid  the   auimaPs  behavior.     When   in 

the  road  again,  however,  he  looked 
back  and  observed  in  the  early  twilight,  which 
was  reflected  upon  the  bosom  of  the  stream, 
three  men  in  concealment  under  the  bank,  and 
within  a  few  feet  of  where  they  thought  the 
traveler  must  pass.  Fortunately,  they  had 
been  eluded  by  the  instincts  of  the  faith- 
ful animal.  But  all  was  not  over.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  preacher  heard  a  "whoop^^  behind 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

him,  and,  looking  back,  saw  an  Indian  on  a 
pony  pursuing  at  full  speed.  He  knew  some- 
thing would  have  to  be  done  quickly,  but  what 
that  "something'^  would  be  was  a  most  serious 
problem.  There  was  no  doubt  in  his  mind  but 
what  the  mule  in  a  long  race  would  distance  the 
pony,  but  in  a  short  run  he  feared  results.  So 
he  decided  to  appear  as  indifferent  as  possible, 
and  let  the  red  rascal  come  up  to  his  side  and 
then  employ  whatever  strategy  he  could  to  pre- 
vent immediate  hostilities.  He  addressed  the 
Indian  in  his  own  tongue,  but  got  no  reply, 
which  indicated  a  sulky  mood  on 

Frfnt*  *^^  P^^*   ^^   ^^^  ^^^   ^^^^'     Then, 

remembering  an  old  saying  among 

frontiersmen,  "As  long  as  you  can  get  an  Indian 

to    eat,    he    will    not    harm    you,''    he    untied 

a    loaf    of    bread,    which    was    hanging    to    his 

saddle,  and  offered  it  to  him,  but  the  hospitality 

was  spurned  at  first.     All  this  time  they  were 

hurrying  along — the  mule  in  a  trot,  and  the  pony 

in  a  gallop.    Finally,  the  loaf  was  accepted  and 

eagerly  devoured  in  a  little  while  by  the  hungry 

savage.      Then   he   began    to    talk,    telling   the 

preacher  how  strong  and  brave  "Indian"  was, 

exhibiting  at  the  same  time  the  muscles  of  his 

bare  arm.    The  preacher  retorted  by  telling  him 

how  strong  and  brave  "white  man" 

Eludes  the         ^^^g     jjj  ^jjg  meantime  he  rode  as 

Enemy 

close  to  his  unwelcome  comrade 
as  he  could  get,  that  he  might  be  able  to  grapple 
with  him  in  case  an  attempt  were  made  to  use 
knife  or  gun.    Observing  that  the  pony  was  weary 

311 


Ou7^  Heroes^  or 

and  panting  for  breath,  the  intrepid  itinerant 
saw  his  opportunity^  and  vigorously  spurred  his 
mule,  which  darted  away  at  full  speed.  The 
Indian,  disappointed  and  angry,  sprang  from 
his  pony  and  thrashed  it  furiously  with  his  raw- 
hide thongs,  then  renewed  the  pursuit;  but  all 
in  vain.  The  mule  was  speeding  away  at  a  gait 
not  to  be  overtaken,  and  so  saved  the  life  of  the 
itinerant. 

In  1879  J.  H.  Vandever  wrote  from 
Walla  Walla :  "Here  we  are  in  the  midst  of  this 
mass  of  dying  men,  without  churches,  and  almost 
without  means.  What  can  we  do?  My  heart  is 
broken,  and  my  very  soul  is  over- 
significant         whelmcd  when  I  think  of  the  desti- 

liCtters 

tution  of  this  country."  A  year 
later  the  presiding  elder  of  the  conference  wrote 
the  Missionary  Secretary  as  follows:  "This  is  a 
hard  year  on  itinerants.  Much  damage  has  been 
done  by  high  waters,  and  there  seems  to  be  no 
money  for  the  preacher  or  the  church." 

These  reports  lift  the  curtain  and  give  us  a 
glimpse  of  what  it  meant  to  serve  the  conference 
in  those  trying  days.  At  the  same  time  they 
show  how  pluckily  our  men  endured  rather  than 
vacate  the  ground  which  they  had  been  able  to 

occupy  at  so  great  a  personal  cost. 
What  Service     j^  f^^j  were  philosophcrs   enough 

Means  sr  sr  r> 

to  understand  that  the  best  and 
surest  way  to  save  one's  life  is  to  give  it  for 
others.  And  this  self  giving  of  our  own,  as  well 
as  of  other  missionaries,  not  only  on  the  coast 
but  from  sea  to  sea,  will,  in  the  end,  constitute 

312 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

one  of  the  most  thrilling  chapters  in  America's 
redemption. 

We  hear  much  said,  and  justly,  too,  of  the 
heroic  spirit  which  leads  the  missionary  on  for- 
eign shores  to  press  his  way  into  forest  and 
jungle,  among  uncivilized  tribes,  that  he  may 
preach  the  word  and  offer  salvation  to  the  be- 
nighted; but  just  as  much  devotion  and  heroism 
have  been  displayed  among  American  frontiers- 
men in  giving  the  gospel  to  their  fellows,  and  in 
making  their  country  the  richest  and  most  invit- 
ing beneath  the  sun.  In  so  far  as  the  matter  of 
financial  remuneration  is  involved,  many  of  our 
home  toilers  make  far  greater  sacrifices  than  do 
any  who  work  abroad.  To  the  records  for  the 
proof. 

At  this  time  the  coast  work  is  problematic — 
exceedingly  so — and  the  reasons  are  apparent. 
Lack  of  support  tells  the  whole  story.  ^'Twenty- 
five  years  of  constant  work  on  the  coast,"  writes 
a  brother,  "has  proven  to  me  that  it  is  not  every 
man  that  will  stick  to  the  ministry  here.  Many 
are  willing  to  taste  its  experiences;  others  will 
consent  to  live  on  them  for  a  few 
A  Test  of  years,  but  the  cases  are  rare  where 

men  have  been  willing  to  make 
them  their  constant  diet  for  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury. While  I  have  been,  I  trust,  fairly  cour- 
ageous for  the  United  Brethren  Church  on  the 
coast,  vet  I  must  confess  that  within  the  last 
few  years  my  faith  in  the  work  has  been  severely 
tried.  The  occasion  for  this  has  been  my  fears 
that  the  Church  in  the  East  would  not  rise  to 

313 


Our  Heroes,  or 

the  needs  of  the  field,  and  thus  permit  all  these 
years  of  toil  and  sacrifice  to  be  lost  to  our  cause, 
if  not  to  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  The  future  will 
tell  as  to  whether  my  fears  have  been  well 
founded  or  not." 

That  the  Church  in  the  East  does  not  fully 
realize  the  needs  of  the  West,  and  the  vast  op- 
portunities constantly  opening  up  before  us,  is 
sadly  true.  For  every  hundred  dollars  appro- 
priated by  the  Board  west  of  the 
^eldeT^^^  Mississippi,  a  thousand  should  be 

spent;  and  even  then  the  real  de- 
mands of  the  work  would  not  be  met.  The 
problem  of  securing  to  the  Church  permanency 
and  expansion  in  this  rapidly-growing  section 
can  be  solved  only  through  the  agency  of  Home 
Missions. 

This  is  the  time  for  the  great  conferences  of 
the  Church  to  fly  to  the  relief  of  the  little,  strug- 
gling missions  throughout  the  West  and  South. 

God's  plan  is  for  the  strong  to  help  the  weak, 
for  the  rich  to  aid  the  poor,  and  for  the  old  to 
care  for  the  young.  Shall  we  carry  out  the  di- 
vine program?    Everything  depends  upon  it. 


314 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

Our  First  Workers  in  Oklahoma 

As  might  have  been  expected,  many  of  our 
people  in  Kansas,  and  other  adjacent  States, 
turned  their  faces  toward  Oklahoma  when  it  was 
opened  for  settlement  in  1889,  to  secure  homes, 
and  to  contribute,  as  far  as  might  be,  to  the  de- 
velopment and  permanency  of  what  was  soon  to 
become  a  great  commonwealth  in  the  sisterhood 
of  States.  Its  climate  was  known 
Oklahoma  ^^  ^^  hcalthful,  and  its  soil  rich 

Attractive  ^ 

and  productive.  Even  the  name 
"Oklahoma"  —  "Beautiful  Land"  —  had  its 
charm,  and  lured  many  a  denizen  from  farm  and 
village  to  seek  the  goodly  place.  The  preachers 
who  followed  became  real  pioneers,  and  sub- 
jected themselves  to  all  the  danger  and  privations 
and  inconveniences  incident  to  settlement  in  a 
new  country. 

J.    M.    L.INSEY 

Mr.  Linsey  moved  from  Kansas  to  Oklahoma 
in  1889,  shortly  after  the  territory  was  opened 
for  occupancy,  and  located  near  Hennessey.  At 
this  time,  however,  he  was  not  a  minister,  but 
soon  after  settling  in  his  new  quarters  was  li- 
censed to  preach,  and  so  has  the  distinction  of 
being  the  first  United  Brethren  to  enter  the  min- 
isterial ranks  in  the  new  country.     Two  days 

315 


Our  Heroes,  or 

after  his  arrival,  though  only  a  layman,  he  held 
a  prayer-meeting  at  a  neighbor's  house,  and  such 
was  the  interest  aroused  that  an 
prayerrMeetin  ^Ppointment  was  made  for  the 
next  Thursday  evening  in  another 
private  home.  The  man  of  the  house  was  con- 
verted that  night — possibly  the  first  public  pro- 
fession ever  made  by  any  one  in  the  community. 
It  is  praiseworthy  in  Mr.  Linsey  that  he  was 
deeply  affected  by  the  great  spiritual  destitution 
of  the  people,  and  decided  to  make  preaching  his 
life  work.  The  prayer  and  social  meetings  were 
kept  up  all  winter,  resulting  in  many  conver- 
sions, and  forming  a  nucleus  around  which 
United  Brethrenism  was  to  be  built  up  in  Okla- 
homa. In  early  spring  a  rude  church-edifice  was 
constructed  out  of  logs,  with  a  dirt  floor  and 
rough  board  seats. 

Mr.  Linsey's  first  circuit,  called  Cooper  Creek, 
furnished  abundant  opportunity  for  work,  but 
gave  very  little  of  the  material  in  return.  Every- 
body was  poor.  During  the  year  he  traveled 
nearly  four  thousand  miles  in  filling  his  appoint- 
ments. For  the  first  two  years  he  received  |176. 
He  writes :  "How  earnestly  we  prayed  and  be- 
sought the  General  Church  to  come 
«^''*  ^  ^  to  our  relief  in  Oklahoma.    Towns 

Prayed   For 

were  springing  up  like  magic  every- 
where, but  we  could  not  enter  them  for  want  of 
money  and  men.  The  heart  grew  sick  as  we  saw 
other  churches  gathering  in  our  members — 
garnering  the  fruits  of  our  earnest  toil.  The  few 
men  we  had  were  doing  their  best,  some  of  them 

316 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionnries 

going  almost  day  and  night,  but  the  task  was 
too  great.  Often  Father  West,  the  first  presid- 
ing elder,  and  his  dear  old  companion,  would 
have  to  camp  by  the  roadside  over  night  on  the 
way  from  one  quarterly  to  another.  They  did 
not  expect  a  thousand  dollars,  but  were  satisfied 
with  1200." 

So  the  work  was  carried  forward.     Great  re- 
vivals  were   promoted,   and   marvelous   conver- 
sions witnessed;  but  somebody  was  willing  to 
pay  the  price,  and  did.    On  his  way 
Dangers  j-^  fjj|  euoagcments  on  one  occasion, 

Enconntered  .  oo  .... 

m  company  with  his  wife,  Mr. 
Tjinsey  found  the  Cimarron  River  too  deep  to 
ford,  so  he  went  some  miles  to  another  place, 
but  found  it  no  better  there.  Being  anxious  to 
get  over,  he  plunged  in  and  swam  his  team  a 
good  part  of  the  way  across.  The  current 
washed  some  things  they  were  carrying  out  of 
the  buggy,  and  almost  upset  the  vehicle  in  the 
midst  of  the  tide.  It  was  a  time  when  steady 
nerves  were  required.  Upon  reaching  the  shore, 
Mrs.  Linsey  fainted  in  the  arms  of  her  husband, 
as  the  result  of  the  fearful  strain  she  endured 
while  passing  through  the  exciting  ordeal. 

Other  and  similar  experiences  are  recited  by 
Mr.  Linsey.  The  whole  way  of  pioneer  work  was 
roufi^h  and  toilsome.  Onlv  those  run  in  a  heroic 
mold  are  fit  for  the  frontier.  There  must  be 
sweat  and  blood  and  faith  and  devotion  in  the 
mortar  if  the  foundations  are  to  be  strong  and 
abiding. 


!17 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

D.   L.   DOUB 

Among  the  first  to  pitch  his  tent  in  Oklahoma, 
and  to  give  himself  unreservedly  to  missionary 
work,  was  D.  L.  Doub.  At  the  close  of  the 
old  Kansas  Conference  session,  held  at  Lecomp- 
ton  in  September,  1892,  he  started  for  McLoud — 
a  distance  of  nearly  five  hundred  miles.  A 
spring- wagon  was  secured  for  the  trip,  and  such 
articles  stored  therein  as  the  preacher  and  fam- 
ily, three  in  number,  would  need  for  their  over- 
land journey.  Carrying  with  them  a  small  tent, 
they  were  prepared  to  camp  out  at 
Moving?  m  night.    The  first  Sabbath  was  spent 

just  south  of  the  Kansas  line,  in 
what  was  known  as  the  Cherokee  Indian  Strip. 
The  time  was  occupied  in  reading,  prayer,  and 
meditation.  Nothing  unusual  occurred  except 
that  a  hoop  snake,  three  feet  long,  with  its  poi- 
sonous stinger,  was  found  crawling  among  the 
pillows  which  had  been  thrown  upon  the  grass. 
The  next  night  they  lodged  within  the  Oto  Reser- 
vation. Soon  after  dark  it  began  to  rain,  and 
when  Mr.  Doub  awoke  his  feet  were  lying  in  the 
water,  which  had  stolen  into  the  tent  and  satu- 
rated their  bed. 

In  speaking  of  the  trip  Mr.  Doub  says:  "The 
last  day,  especially,  was  long  and  wearisome. 
We  had  to  cross  the  Kickapoo  Indian  Reserva- 
tion— a   distance   of   thirty   miles. 
Among  the         rp^^  rainfall  continued  all  day.    In- 

Indians  '^ 

dians  were  to  be  seen  all  along  the 
way,  but  not  a  single  white  man  was  found 
until  late  in  the  evening.     We  liad  great  diffi- 

318 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

cult}^  in  keeping  in  the  right  track,  as  there  were 
only  dim  Indian  trails  to  follow.  These  crossed 
each  other  so  frequently  that  we  could  hardly 
be  sure  of  our  course  at  any  time.  As  we  could 
not  speak  the  Indian  language,  and  they  would 
not  speak  ours,  if  they  knew  it,  we  were  left  to 
do  the  best  we  could.  The  Kickapoos  were  a  bad 
tribe,  and  had  made  the  Government  much 
trouble,  so  it  was  but  natural  for  us  to  keep  an 
eye  on  them,  and  to  make  the  best  time  possible 
in  order  to  get  out  of  their  domain.  Late  at 
night  we  found  a  log  cabin  of  one  room  occupied 
by  a  widow,  and  were  reluctantly  taken  in. 
Making  our  bed  on  the  floor  by  the  stove,  we 
removed  our  wet  clothing  and  lay  down  to  rest 
and  slumber.  How  thankful  we  were  for  a  log 
cabin  to  shelter  us  from  the  storm !" 

In  a  few  days  the  preacher,  having  reached  his 
objective  point,  had  selected  a  "claim"  which  an- 
other was  willing  to  relinquish  for  a  small  sum. 
Pitching  their  tent  for  a  couple  of 
Desttnation        wccks  thcv  constructcd  a  losr  house, 

Reached  *^  o  7 

and  partly  covered  it  with  clap- 
boards; but  before  it  was  done  they  started  out 
to  do  missionary  work.  Going  some  forty  miles 
to  Edmond,  they  found  a  destitute  settlement, 
and  at  once  began  a  meeting,  which  resulted  in 

an  organization  of  twenty  mem- 
^**^^  bers.     Other  points  in  time  were 

added,  so  that  the  preacher  found 
it  necessary  to  make  the  trip  every  two  weeks  in 
ministering  to  the  converts  won  in  his  first  cam- 
paign for  souls.    About  fifteen  miles  of  his  route 

319 


Our  Heroes^  or 

lay  through  the  Kickapoo  Reservation,  and  fre- 
quently he  and  his  family  camped  out  in  these 
wilds  over  night,  sleeping  on  the  ground  beneath 
their  buggy.  They  were  thus  not  only  exposed 
to  the  pilfering  Indians,  but  to  dangerous  an- 
imals which  infested  the  country,  such  as  wolves 

and  panthers.  Once  in  a  while  a 
^"*  stray  mountain  lion  was  seen.  Dur- 

mg  his  first  year  there  a  young  lady 
was  dragged  from  her  horse  by  a  vicious  panther, 
as  she  was  going  home  one  night  from  a  dance, 
and  partly  eaten  before  found  by  her  friends. 

For  two  or  three  years  Mr.  Doub  remained  on 
his  land,  preaching  the  word  here  and  there  to 
as  many  as  would  hear  it.  With  no  appropri- 
ation from  any  source,  and  receiving  only  $80 
for  the  first  three  years'  work,  it  was  well  to  own 
a  bit  of  real  estate  on  which  to  live,  if  nothing 
more.  It  became  necessary  for  the  good  wife  to 
teach  school,  and  thus  supplement,  in  an  addi- 
tional way,  the  little  on  which  they  had  to  sub- 
sist. 

Mr.  Doub  did  not  go  to  the  new  Territory  pri- 
marily to  get  land,  but  to  preach.  The  land 
merely  helped  him  to  provide,  in  a  way,  for  his 
family  while  he  continued  his  missionary  labors. 
It  was  under  such  circumstances  as  these,  while 

so  peculiarly  surrounded,  that  the 
Death  in  ^^j^j  ^f  ^uB  life  camc.      The  death 

the  Home 

angel,  one  sad  day,  knocked  at  the 
door  of  their  humble  home,  and  with  icy  fingers 
arrested  the  heart-throb  of  the  wife  and  mother. 


!20 


United  Brctlireii  Home  Missionaries 

Then  it  was  that  the  lonely  herald,  far  out  on 
the  frontier,  cried  up  to  God  through  the  shad- 
ows, as  never  before,  for  a  guiding  hand  and  for 
sustaining  grace. 

With  the  loved  one  laid  away  to  rest,  and  with 
a  renewed  consecration  to  the  work  of  soul-win- 
ning, he  gave  himself  anew  to  the  mission  on 
which  the  Great  Father  had  sent  him,  and  so 
continues  therein  to  this  day. 

He  was  soon  elected  presiding  elder  and  served 
a  district  eight  years.  While  in  this  capacity  his 
soul  was  often  tried  and  his  physical  strength 
thoroughly  tested.  At  this  time  railroad  advan- 
tages were  exceedingly  limited,  as  they  are  yet 
in  some  portions  of  the  State,  hence,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  travel  by  private  conveyance.  Indeed, 
if  public  transportation  facilities  had  been  ever 
so  abundant,  he  could  not  have 
District  profited  by   them,   as   he  did   not 

have  money  to  pay  his  fare.  The 
distances  were  great,  the  roads  bad  in  winter, 
and  many  of  the  streams  treacherous  and  dan- 
gerous. He  carried  with  him  an  ax  and  gun. 
The  former  he  needed  often  to  clear  away  the 
brush  when,  on  account  of  high  water  or  muddv 
roads,  he  was  compelled  to  turn  aside  from  the 
main  highway ;  the  latter  was  useful  in  bringing 
down  game  when  it  came  in  his  way.  As  he 
traveled  in  a  wagon,  the  ax  sometimes  proved 
useful  also  when  repairs  had  to  be  made. 

More  than  once  his  life  was  imperiled  in  cross- 
ing the  Cimarron  and  South  Canadian  rivers.  In 
some  cases  the  stretch  between  quarterlies  was 

321 


Our  Heroes,  or 

so  great  that  he  had  to  carry  food  for  his  ponies 

and  a  lunch  for  himself,  and  camp  out  on  the 

plains    alone    through    the    night. 

^"*  «  ^  This   was   genuine  frontier  work, 

Imperiled  ®  ' 

though  it  occurred  only  a  few 
years  ago.  As  the  brother  looks  back  over 
those  harrowing  experiences,  he  is  made  to  see, 
more  and  more,  the  good  hand  of  God,  which  led 
him  in  the  right  way,  and  so  graciously  pre- 
served his  life. 

The  first  year  as  superintendent  he  received 
from  the  conference  and  General  Board,  |180. 
For  the  next  two  years  it  was  |200  each,  and 
thereafter  a  trifle  higher.  But  he  lived,  sup- 
ported his  family,  and  was  happy  in  his  ap- 
pointed work. 

J.  H.  DARR 

Heroism  lends  charm  to  history;  or,  to  be 
more  exact,  we  may  say  it  makes  history.  The 
student  of  the  past  has  but  little  interest  in  the 
life  that  was  destitute  of  this  exalted  element. 
For  want  of  a  better  interpretation,  we  define 
true  heroism  to  be  the  souFs  best 
Heroism  impulse — that    srlow    and    warmth 

Defined  \  t     />     •         . 

which  the  Infinite  imparts  to  man, 
his  noblest  creature.  It  is  seen  in  the  lower 
walks  of  life,  as  well  as  in  the  higher;  in  the 
humble  peasant  as  well  as  in  the  dashing  chief- 
tain who  wins  on  the  field  of  battle.  No  general 
ever  displayed  more  heroism  than  did  the  early 
preachers  in  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and 
those,  as  well,  who  yet  serve  in  frontier  fields. 

322 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

They  have  gloried  in  whatever  exalted  Christ, 
and  made  his  cross  the  symbol  of  death  to  sin. 
Love  of  ease  and  pleasure  and  fame  has  never 
lured  many  of  them  from  the  path  of  duty,  or 
caused  them  to  grow  weary  of  their  God-ap- 
pointed task. 

J.  H.  Darr  moved  from  Iowa  to  Okla- 
homa in  1893.  His  bold,  daring  spirit  suited 
him  to  a  new  country,  and  to  the  hardships  it 
invariably  entails.  Though  sixty  years  old  he 
entered  as  heartily  into  the  work  as  did  the 
younger  men,  and  for  several  years  made  a  noble 
record  in  missionary  labors.  He  was  known 
frequently  to  drive  his  team  all  night  to  reach 
his  appointments  the  next  day,  or  to  get  to  the 
bedside  of  his  sick  wife.  Once  in  crossing  the 
North  Canadian  River  his  ponies 
Te^  Mfred        mired  in  the  quicksand,  and  seeing 

in  River  -, 

the  danger  they  were  in,  he  plunged 
into  the  water  to  his  armpits  and  re- 
leased them  from  the  carriage,  thus  enabling 
them  to  get  to  shore.  After  landing  his  buggy 
he  drove  on  to  his  appointment,  some  miles  dis- 
tant, where  he  preached  in  his  wet  clothes  to  an 
expectant  audience. 

He  even  made  friends  among  the  Indians,  who 
learned  to  respect  him,  and  in  one  instance, 
especially,  showed  a  readiness  to  fight  for  his 

protection.  The  circumstance  was 
FrrenT*"***'       as  follows :     Oue  morning  before 

daylight,  while  driving  homeward, 
armed  highwaymen  attempted  to  hold  him  up, 
but  his   horses   dashed  away   from   them   and 

323 


Our  Heroes^  or 

made  sure  his  escape.  In  a  few  moments  he  ran 
on  to  some  of  his  red-skinned  friends  whose  at- 
tention had  been  attracted  by  the  preacher's  calls 
for  help,  and,  possibly,  the  firing  of  guns.  When 
they  found  who  he  was,  and  what  had  happened, 
they  were  bent  on  avenging  the  wrong;  but  the 
messenger  of  peace,  whose  mission  was  to  save 
men  rather  than  kill  them,  dissuaded  them  from 
any  such  bloody  intent. 

Sometimes  he  went  when,  perhaps,  he  should 
have  stayed  at  home.  He  suffered  frequently 
and  much  from  heart  trouble.  In  going  from 
one  of  his  appointments  to  another,  on  one  oc- 
casion, he  was  overcome  by  the  dread  disease, 
and  when  found  by  some  traveler  was  lying 
partly  out  of  his  buggy  in  an  unconscious  con- 
dition. His  trusted  team  was  still  jogging  along 
in  the  right  direction  the  same  as  if  the  owner's 
hand  had  been  guiding  them. 

For  all  his  work  and  travel,  by  day  and  by 
night,  through  sunshine  and  storm,  in  the  midst 
of  peril  and  affliction,  the  veteran  received  less 
than  f200  a  year  upon  an  average.  Poor  pay, 
hard  work,  glorious  revivals — a  singular  combi- 
nation, as  some  might  view  it,  but  one  that  filled 
the  hero's  heart  with  abounding  joy. 

Many  other  brethren  who  toiled  in  the  found- 
ing of  the  Church  in  Oklahoma  deserve  notice  in 
this  connection,  but  chapters  would 
other  Faithful   |)^  required  to  tell  it  all.     A.   C. 

Ones  ^ 

West,  W.  M.  Tillbury,  P.  B.  Gould, 
W.  M.  Ayers,  J.  Barricklow,  and  R.  H.  Stokes- 
berry  were  on  the  ground  early,  and  did  noble 

324 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

service.  The  conference  was  organized  in  1897, 
and  is  making  splendid  progress,  though  at  tre- 
mendous cost  on  the  part  of  the  faithful  men  who 
are  doing  the  work.  The  present  appropriation  by 
the  Parent  Board  of  $2,000  a  year  ought  to  be 
multiplied  several  times  over,  if  we  are  to  occupy 
all  the  places  where  the  Church  is  needed  and 
called  for  in  the  new  State. 


325 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Oitr  Debt  to  the  Pioneer. 

Prom  the  standpoint  of  both  religion  and 
patriotism  we  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the 
noble  pioneers  who  blazed  the  way  across  the 
continent  from  east  to  west  for  our  glorious 
civilization,  and  who  made  possible  the  achieve- 
ments which  have  so  distinguished  us  as  a  na- 
tion. 

The  home  missionary  has  always  been  at  the 
front,  and  has  proven  himself  a  factor  of  great 
potency  in  molding  the  characters  and  shaping 
the  destinies  of  new  emigrant  communities. 
They  not  only  loved  the  church,  but  they  also 
Loyal  to  loved  their  country's  flag.    The  lit- 

churcb  and  tie  schoolhouses  and  church-edifices 
^^"^  built  by  them,  in  the  long  ago,  have 

enlarged  and  developed  into  great  institutions 
of  learning,  and  magnificent  temples  of  worship. 
Of  all  these  we  are  justly  proud.  Their  very 
presence  kindles  within  the  bosom  feelings  of  ad- 
miration, and  leads  us  to  exclaim,  ^^See  what  God 
hath  wrought."  But  we  must  not  forget  that 
these  churches  and  schools  of  higher  learning 
are  largely  the  product  of  the  humble  mission- 
ary who  was  among  the  very  first  to  construct 
his  sod  house  on  the  prairie,  or  to  plunge  into 
the  forest  and  build  the  log  cabin. 

326 


United  Brethreyi  Home  Missionaries 

J.    H.    Snjder,  in    a  ringing  address    before 
the  Southwest  Kansas  Conference,  on  the  occa- 
sion   of   its    quarter-centennial    celebration,    in 
1907,  said:  "Historians  delight  in 
A  Brilliant         recordin^ir    the    deeds    of    valorous 

Tribute  .  «  .  ,  •  • 

warriors,  of  eminent  service  in 
statesmanship.  Every  student  is  familiar  with 
the  name  of  Leonidas,  the  brave  Spartan,  who 
fell  at  Thermopylae ;  of  Hannibal,  who  dared  the 
Hellespont;  of  Napoleon,  who  scaled  the  rugged 
Alps ;  of  Washington  and  the  patriots  at  Valley 
Forge;  of  Grant,  the  victor  at  Appomattox;  of 
Sheridan,  the  storm  center  at  Winchester;  of 
Sherman,  who  led  his  legions  down  to  the  sea ;  of 
Lee  and  Jackson  and  their  brave  comrades — 
these  were  heroes  of  war.  In  statesmanship  the 
world  has  had  its  Gladstone,  its  Pitt,  its  Patrick 
Henry,  its  Webster  and  Clay,  its  Jefferson  and 
Lincoln;  but  how  about  the  heroes  of  the  Cross? 
We  are  pointed  to  the  achievements  of  the  gos- 
pel over  ignorance  and  superstition;  to  trans- 
formed communities  where  heathen  customs 
have  given  way  to  Christian  civilization;  but 
who  were  the  pioneers  in  these  social  and  ethical 
movements? 

"We  have  read  with  delight  the  life  and  labors 
of  John  G.  Paton,  the  apostle  of  the  New  Heb- 
rides; of  John  Hunt  among  the  ferocious  canni- 
bals of  Fiji;  of  Mackay  on  the  Is- 
Abroar**  land  of  Formosa;  of  Livingstone 

and  of  Moffatt  in  the  wilds  of  Cen- 
tral Africa;  of  Judson  in  India — indeed,  of  hun- 
dreds whose  names  have  been  heralded  to  coming 

327 


Our  Heroes y  or 

ages,  whose  deeds  have  been  more  chivalrous 
than  those  upon  the  field  of  carnal  strife,  or 
within  the  halls  of  national  legislation ;  but  how 
about  those  pioneers  in  our  own  dear  land — pio- 
neers whose  deeds  were  so  noble,  whose  sacrifices 
were  so  great,  and  whose  crowns  are  now  so 
lustrous?    Men  who  wrought  nobly  in  their  day, 

"  'Then   sank   into  their  native  clay.' 

"Is  it  enough  that  their  names  are  recorded  in 
the  ^Book  of  Life'?  Shall  the  tramp,  tramp, 
tramp  of  the  sacramental  host  pass  over  the 
fields  where  they  wept  and  plead  and  fell  at  last 
as  martyrs  to  the  divine  call  of  the  gospel,  with- 
out a  thought  of  the  cost  of  their  blessings,  or  of 
the  distinguished  lives  which  wrought  out  our 
exalted  privileges?" 

The  home  missionaries  have  done  more  than 
any  others  to  promote  the  nation's  greatness, 
Honor  the  ^^^  ^o  make  its  Protestantism  in- 

Home  fluential  and  mighty;  but  hitherto 

Missionary  .■■  -.  .         -,  -,  j  •     x    j 

they  have  received  only  stinted 
credit.  We  have  been  inclined  to  look  beyond 
the  seas  for  the  hero.  A  few  of  our  pioneers, 
like  Doctor  Whitman,  have  been  accorded  a 
place  in  our  country's  annals,  but  the  vast  ma- 
jority of  them  have  been  forgotten — yes,  forgot- 
ten, though  they  were  good,  and  brave,  and  vic- 
torious. 

Our  frontiersmen  in  Christian  service  to-day 
are  not  appreciated  by  the  Church  at  large,  be- 
cause the  nature  of  their  work  is  not  rightly  un- 
derstood.    The  great  body  of  United  Brethren 

328 


United  Brethren  Home  Mwsionaries 

have  but  little  conception  of  what  it  means  to 
itinerate  in  some  of  the  western  and  southern 
conferences.  They  would  stand  appalled  if  they 
could  enter  the  homes  of  some  of  our  faithful 
workers  and  once  observe  their  scant  supply  of 
furniture,  raiment,  and  other  comforts.  They 
are  in  the  work  for  Jesus'  sake.  To  build  up  the 
Zion  to  which  they  have  plighted  fidelity  for  all 
time  is  more  to  them  than  to  accumulate  abund- 
ant riches. 

"If  in  civic  affairs  the  heroic  are  honored,  and 
their  names  are  heralded  abroad  as  synonyms  of 
manly  courage,  and  models  of  worthy  emula- 
tion," do  not  the  noble  cavaliers  at  the  front, 
where  the  battle  never  abates,  and 
All  on  the  where  "restful  davs  come  not  this 

Altar 

Side  the  grave,"  deserve  great 
praise  for  that  strength  of  brain  and  heart  and 
life  which  they  have  so  unreservedly  consecrated 
upon  the  altars  of  the  church?  That  their 
names  are  written  among  the  stars,  no  one  can 
doubt ;  that  they  deserve  to  be  there,  no  one  will 
question. 


329 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

The  Harvest 

Our  country  owes  its  greatness,  largely,  to 
Home  Missions — a  fact  not  understood  and  ap- 
preciated by  the  masses.  The  first  and  most  im- 
portant thing  in  a  community  is  to  plant  a  Chris- 
Home  Missions  tian  church,  which  invariably  be- 
and  Our  comcs  a  ceutcr  of  good  morals  and 

Country  civic  virtues.     Man  must  worship 

or  retrograde  in  his  nature.  The  highest  alti- 
tude of  a  noble  manhood  can  be  reached  only  by 
the  soul  rising  Godward.  It  is  impossible  for 
men  to  be  brought  into  right  relations  with  each 
other  until  they  recognize  their  true  relationship 
to  the  Infinite.  Hence,  as  Christian  communi- 
ties are  multiplied,  the  State  becomes  Christian, 
and  such  commonwealths  increased  in  number 
make  a  nation  righteous  and  powerful. 

In  ecclesiastical  affairs  we  have  an  exact  par- 
allel. The  founding  of  churches  must  precede 
everything  else.  Even  foreign  mission  work  is 
Home  Missions  impossiblo  iu  the  absence  of  the 
and  tiie  houie  church,  which  must  furnish 

Giiurcit  ^^^  workers   and   guarantee   their 

support.  Foreign  missions  are  logically  and 
necessarily  the  products  of  home  missions.  The 
same  thing  is  true  in  our  educational  undertak- 
ings.   The  planting  of  churches  must  come  first, 

330 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

both  as  to  time  and  importance,  since  we  must 
look  to  these  for  students,  and  the  money  with 
which  to  build  and  endow.  This  philosophy  like- 
wise holds  good  in  relation  to  our  publishing  in- 
terests. We  must  first  have  church  organiza- 
tions and  Sabbath  schools,  before  we  can  hope 
to  circulate  the  Religious  Telescope  and  other 
periodicals.  It  were  vain  to  try  to  produce  a 
book  literature  without  a  reading  constituency. 
True  it  is  that  the  college  and  publishing  plant 
are  tremendous  factors  in  making  a  denomina- 
tion strong  and  prosperous;  and  no  church 
merits  success,  or  even  an  existence,  that  does 
not  provide  such  helps;  but  before  every  other 
agency  comes  the  missionary  who  prepares  the 
soil  and  scatters  the  fruitful  seed. 

We  have  shown  in  the  preceding  chapters 
what  it  cost  the  pioneers  to  lay  the  foundations 
of  the  Church,  and  to  blaze  the  way  for  its  for- 
ward march  along  side  of  other  and  similar 
forces  which  have  been  so  potent  in  making  the 
nation  great.  Now  we  change  the 
View  Point         viewpoint.     It  is  well  for  a  church 

Changed  ^ 

occasionally  to  measure  itself,  and 
take  an  inventory  of  its  assets.  In  this  respect, 
however,  the  United  Brethren  Church  has  hith- 
erto been  exceedingly  modest — too  much  so,  in- 
deed. She  has  always  been  slow  to  advertise  her 
"towers"  and  "buhvarks''  and  "palaces." 

Our  expenditures  for  home  missions  have  been 
comparatively  small.  Up  to  1853  no  systematic 
plan  was  in  vogue  for  the  collection  and  disburs- 
ing of  missionary  funds,  and  prior  to  that  the 

331 


Om^  Heroes  J  or 

Church's  growth  had  been  exceedingly  slow. 
The  entire  membership  was  only  47,000.  The 
number  of  church-houses  was  very  little,  if  any 
above  five  hundred,  with  only  here  and  there  a 
j)arsonage.  The  Publishing  House  could  only 
muster  assets  to  the  amount  of  |13,000.  The 
Religious  Telescope  was  a  four-page  paper,  with 
a  circulation  of  about  five  thousand  copies.  In 
fact,  we  scarcely  had  enough  to  make  a  record 
of.  As  yet  there  were  no  organized  connectional 
departments.  Some  of  the  conferences  raised  a 
little  missionary  money,  but  used  it  mainly  for 
local  purposes. 

In  point  of  equipments,  such  as  are  essential 
to  aggressive,  thorough-going  work,  we  were 
meagerly  supplied.  But  what  has  come  to  pass 
since  then?  What  the  progress  made?  As  the 
Missionary  Society  began  to  gather  funds,  and 
distributed  them  here  and  there. 
Growth  of  thouoh  in  small  sums,  for  the  ex- 

tension  of  the  Church's  borders,  its 
life-throb  was  felt  in  fields  that  never  could  have 
been  occupied  in  the  absence  of  such  an  agency. 
During  the  first  four  years  of  its  history  new 
missions  were  opened  in  Oregon,  Michigan,  Mis- 
souri, Nebraska,  Kansas,  and  Canada.  The 
Church  Erection  Society  has  also  Avrought  nobly 
in  the  department  of  home  missions  by  way  of 
housing  and  making  permanent  the  congrega- 
tions organized  in  the  new  territories  we  now 
occupy. 

East  of  the  Mississippi  the  Church  is  particu- 
larly strong.     In   Pennsylvania,   including  the 

332 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

District  of  Columbia,  and  small  portions  of 
Maryland  and  New  York,  the  membership  is 
60,000.  The  church-houses  numbering  530,  and 
the  parsonages,  numbering  201,  are  valued  at 
Present  $2,705,117.     lu  Ohio  the  communi- 

strength  of  cauts  aggregate  64,500,  while  the 
Church  churches,  682,  and  the  parsonages, 

159,  are  worth  |2,304,000.  Indiana,  Illinois, 
Wisconsin,  ^lichigan,  and  Minnesota  contain  a 
membership,  all  told,  of  72,000,  with  915  church- 
es and  211  parsonages  worth  $2,000,000.  In  the 
South,  including  the  Virginias,  the  total  enroll- 
ment of  members  is  34,000.  These  own  446 
church-edifices,  and  77  parsonages,  valued  at 
$617,712.  Between  the  Mississippi  and  the 
Rockies,  the  territory  embraced  in  the  West  Dis- 
trict, and  a  most  promising  home  mission  field, 
we  have  39,000  adherents  who  control  570 
church-buildings,  and  225  manses,  listed  at 
$1,335,106.  Beyond  the  Rockies  we  operate  in 
California,  Oregon,  and  Washington,  with  a 
membership  of  3,500.  The  fifty  churches  and 
thirty-six  parsonages  there  are  put  down  at 
$214,030.  The  foregoing  figures  thrown  together 
give  us,  in  the  United  States,  approximately 
275,000  members,  with  church-  and  parsonage- 
buildings  worth  $9,250,000. 

Fifty  years  ago  the  educational  facilities  of 
the  Church  were  sadly  limited,  both  in  the  num- 
ber and    character   of   its   institu- 
nittini«on^'        tions ;  now  we  have  a  full  dozen  of 
these,    which     are    valued    above 
$1,000,000.     Possibly  we  have  too  many.     Less 

333 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

money  spent  on  buildings,  and  larger  sums  ex- 
pended on  equipments,  might  mean  more  for  the 
Church. 

A  magnificent  Publishing  House,  worth  fl,- 
000,000,  has  grown  out  of  the  little  plant  rated 
at  }13,000  in  1853. 

It  is  in  place  also  to  mention  the  grand  Sun- 
day-school army  of  the  Church,  342,500  strong, 
and  the  Young  People's  organizations  which 
have  enrolled  a  membership  of  83,700. 

These  statements,  showing  the  steady,  solid 
growth  of  the  Church,  abundantly  demonstrate 
what  has  been  gained  through  the  unceasing  toil, 
and  unflinching  fidelity  of  her  pioneer  sons  and 
daughters.  They  also  show  clearly  the  value  of 
home  missions.  We  have  a  splen- 
Kansas  and        ^^^  example  iu  Kausas,  where  the 

Home  Missions  ^  .       .  ■• 

Board  has  spent  more  money  m  the 
last  half  century  than  in  any  other  State.  The 
net  amount  appropriated  foots  up  |47,709.32. 

This  may  appear  to  some  as  quite  an  outlay 
for  a  small  church;  but  what  we  have  in  the 
"Sunflower  State"  proves  that  the  expenditure 
was  worth  while.  The  church-membership  is 
nearly  16,000,  and  the  Sabbath-school  enroll- 
ment 21,800.  The  284  churches  and  parsonages 
are  worth  |446,105.  Besides  these  we  have 
Campbell  College  which,  as  an  asset,  may  be  put 
down  at  |75,000.  Nor  is  this  all.  Fully  |20,000 
has  gone  from  the  State  into  the  missionary 
treasury,  saying  nothing  about  the  many  thou- 
sands that  have  been  contributed  for  foreign 
mission  work  through  the  Woman's  Missionary 

334 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Association,  and  to  other  general  interests.  For 
the  year  ending  May  1,  1908,  the  appropriations 
of  the  Home  Board  to  the  State  aggregated 
$1,300,  while  the  returns  foot  up  nearly  $3,000. 
In  view  of  these  facts  and  figures  do  Home  Mis- 
sions pay?  Has  the  expenditure  of  |47,T09.32  in 
Kansas  been  a  profitable  investment  to  the 
Church?  We  should  say  so.  But  much  more 
could  and  would  have  been  done  if  the  gifts  had 
been  multiplied. 

Because  of  the  inability  of  the  Board  to  give 
the  needed  aid,  many  precious  opportunities,  in 
various  portions  of  the  country,  have  been  let 
slip,  and  through  such  failures  vast  numbers  of 
our  people  have  been  lost  to  the 
Opportunities  Qhurch.  We  have  not  been  able  to 
keep  pace  with  the  onward  flow  of 
emigration  into  new  sections  of  the  West.  In 
many  instances  the  doors  have  been  effectually 
closed  against  us,  and  the  losses  thus  sustained 
can  never  be  retrieved.  But  other  openings,  big 
with  promise,  are  presented,  and  challenge  the 
loyalty  of  the  Church.  If  we  enter  these,  well 
and  good ;  if  we  do  not,  then  God  will  thrust  for- 
ward some  other  agency,  put  his  blessing  upon 
it,  and  compel  us  to  stand  aside. 

In  this  connection  mention  should  be  made  of 
the  fact  that  the  most  remarkable  growth  ever 
known  in  the  Church  during  any 
Three  Yelr/'  ^hrcc  ycars  of  her  history,  every- 
thing considered,  has  been  expe- 
rienced since  1905,  when  the  General  Conference 
organized  the  Home  Missionary  Society  into  a 

335 


Our  Heroes,  or 

distinct  department.  During  this  period  the 
most  aggressive  work  has  been  done.  Steps  have 
been  taken  looking  toward  the  planting  of  the 
Church  in  many  of  our  great  centers  of  popula- 
tion, and  likewise  in  new  sections  of  the  country 
in  need  of  religious  workers,  for  the  twofold 
purpose  of  securing  permanency  to  the  denomi- 
nation, and  of  enlarging  her  efficiency  in  soul- 
winning. 

In  1905  we  had  sixty-eight  missionaries  in  the 
home  land;  now  they  number  one  hundred  and 
twenty.  And  this  force  could  be  increased  a 
dozenfold  within  a  very  short  time  if  we  had  the 
funds  with  which  to  insure  their  support.  In 
many  of  the  mission  fields  the  work  has  been 
greatly  accentuated  by  old-time  revivals,  which 
came  as  the  result  of  much  faith  and  toil;  and 
continued  victories  may  be  expected  in  propor- 
tion as  men  and  money  are  consecrated  to  the 
work.  Evidently  a  crisis  period 
A  Crisis  jj^g    come.      The    future    of    the 

Period 

Church  depends  largely  upon  what 
we  do  now.  Intensified  effort  means  an  enlarged 
vision  and  greater  achievements;  a  slackened 
hand  means  a  retreat  to  the  rear,  and  a  loss  of 
precious  opportunities. 

We  are  glad  that  plans  have  already  been  per- 
fected for  the  organization  of  a  mission  district 
which  will  embrace  western  Okla- 
^  ^^^  lioma,    formerlv    known    as    "No 

Conference 

Man's  Land,''  the  Texas  panhandle, 
and  eastern  New  Mexico.  United  Brethren  by 
hundreds  are  moving  into  this  part  of  the  South- 

336 


United  Breihrcn  Home  Missiona7'ies 

west,  and  are  forming  a  nucleus  around  which 
we  hope  to  build  up  a  prosperous  conference. 

As  the  country  is  new,  it  furnishes  a  genuine 
type  of  pioneer  life.  The  "sod  house"  and  "plank 

shack''  of  one  room,  many  of  them 
Gennine  ^yj^jj  (jj^t  floors,  may  be  found  by 

thousands.  The  people  who  have 
gone  to  the  frontier,  with  rare  exceptions,  are  a 
noble  folk,  and  are  deserving  of  praise  for  hav- 
ing given  themselves  to  the  task  of  developing 
and  making  fruitful  and  glorious  these  hitherto 
unsettled  portions  of  our  vast  domain.  In  their 
splendid  efforts  to  build  up  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  in  their  midst,  through  the  United  Breth- 
ren Church,  they  merit,  and  should  have  the  sym- 
pathy and  unlimited  cooperation  of  the  older 
and  stronger  conferences.  Those  who  help  such 
struggling  communities  and  colonies  at  a  time 
like  this,  not  only  exhibit  their  devotion  to  the 
Church,  but  as  well  their  patriotism  and  love  of 
"native  land.'' 

Great  openings  are  presented  in  all  the  im- 
mense regions  farther  to  the  west  and  north- 
west; also  in  Arkansas,  southeast  Texas,  and 

Louisiana.  In  the  last-named 
Farther  soutb     ^tatc  a  vigorous  little  conference 

is  already  in  operation,  and  is 
forging  its  way  into  destitute  communities  as 
rapidly  as  could  be  expected  with  the  men  and 
money  at  command.  The  spiritual  needs  there 
are  especially  great.  In  large  portions  of  the 
State  Protestantism  is  unknown.  The  French, 
who  predominate,  as  a  class,  are  as  ignorant  and 

337 


Our  Heroes,  or 

helpless  as  a  vicious,  debauched,  imported  priest- 
hood can  keep  them.  Are  they  not  our  neigh- 
bors ?  And,  if  so,  does  not  the  very  spirit  of  the 
gospel  lay  upon  us  the  obligation  of  ministering 
to  them? 

But  why  make  particular  mention  of  this  or 
that  section?  No  matter  whither  we  turn,  the 
same  vision  greets  us — "fields  already  white  to 
harvest."  An  eminent  authority  on  religious 
statistics  estimates  that  out  of  87,000,000  of  peo- 
ple in  the  United  States  at  this  time,  only  about 
21,000,000  are  members  of  Protestant  evangelical 
churches.  What  a  field  for  evangelism  the  re- 
maining millions  presents!  Shall  we  marshal 
our  forces,  with  other  churches,  for  the  redemp- 
tion of  the  home  land?  For,  be  it  remembered 
that  in  so  doing  we  contribute  most  to  the 
universal  spread  of  the  truth.  We  shall  become 
a  world  power  in  proportion  as  we  become  a 
home  power. 

America  is  the  key  to  the  whole  situation. 
Her  position  is  strategic  as  a  world  power. 
Every  time  she  speaks  the  nations  of  earth  give 
heed.  When  she  moves  they  hear 
America  First  ^he  trcad  of  her  advancing  steps. 
Let  her  enthrone  Jesus  the  Lord  in 
all  her  social,  commercial,  political,  and  reli- 
gious affairs,  and  the  very  ends  of  tlie  earth  will 
hasten  to  join  in  the  final  coronation. 

The  part  of  the  United  Brethren  Oliurch  in 
bringing  the  glad  day  may  be  great  and  glori- 
ous, if  she  will  but  strengthen  her  agencies,  and 
devote  her  money  to  so  noble  a  cause.    One  dollar 

338 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

per  meinber,  yearly,  for  the  Home  ^lission  Board 
should  be  the  ininimuiu  offering.  The  interests 
A  Call  to  ^t   stake   are   many,    mighty,    and 

United  eternal.      We   can   afford   to   give, 

and  give  heroically.  Every  indi- 
cation points  to  the  fact  that  God  is  realigning 
his  forces  for  a  last,  decisive  conflict.  United 
Brethren  should  get  in  line,  for  will  not  heaven 
expect  such  a  church  to  be  at  the  front  when 
the  final  victory  comes? 

"Onward!  upward!  throneward!"  is  the  order 
which  comes  ringing  down  from  the  skies.  In 
the  meantime,  Ave  v\'ill  remember  the  heroes  of 
the  past,  and  count  it  a  privilege  and  joy  to 
wreathe  their  brows  with  chaplets  of  praise. 

"For  truth  with  tireless  zeal  they  sought; 

In  joyless  paths  they  trod — 
Heedless  of  praise  or  blame  they  wrought, 

And  left  the  rest  to  God. 
The  lowliest  sphere  was  not  disdained; 

Where  love  could  soothe  or  save, 
They  went,  by  fearless  faith  sustained, 

Nor  knew  their  deeds  were  brave. 


"No  sculptured  stone  in  stately  temple 

Proclaims  their  rugged  lot; 
Like  Him  v/ho  was  their  great  example, 

This  vain  world  knew  them  not. 
But  though  their  names  no  poet  wove 

In  deathless  song  or  story, 
Their  record  is  inscribed  above; 

Their  wreaths  are  crowns  of  glory." 


339 


LESSON  VIII. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

1.  _  Tell   something   of  the  early  history  and  difficulties  of  the 
work  in  Columbia  River  Conference. 

2.  Who  were  the  first  preachers?     Tell  of  Wm.  Daugherty 

3.  When  and  by  whom  was  the  conference  organized'' 

4.  What  is  said  of  J.  J.  Gallaher? 

5.  What  do  you  recall  concerning  J.   S.  Rhoads? 

6.  What  tribute  is  paid  Wm.  Gallaher? 

7.  Tell    of    the    privations    some    endured — what    thev    had    to 
eat,   etc. 

8.  Give  the  preacher's  experience  with   highwaymen,   Indiaos, 

9.  What  was  said  by  those  who  wrote  of  the  work? 
10.     Did  the  work  test  the  courage  of  the  pioneers? 

.    W  P°  ?°°^®  missionaries  sufEer  as  much  as  do  those  who  work 

in  the  foreign  field? 

12.  What  of  the  coast  work  and  its  needs? 

13.  What  is  the  duty  of  the  Church  toward  it? 

CHAPTER    XXX. 

1.  What  of  Oklahoma? 

2.  What  United   Brethren  first  preached  there? 

3.  Tell  of  the  first  prayer-meeting  Mr.  Linsey  held  and  what 
followed. 

4.  What   was  his   first   circuit   and   experiences  thereon? 

5.  Who  was  the  first  presiding  elder? 

6.  Give  the  preacher's  experience  in  crossing  the  Cimarron 
River. 

7.  Tell  of  Mr.  Doub's  trip  to  Oklahoma. 

8.  Where  did  he  settle  and  first  begin  to  preach? 

9.  What   made    camping   out   dangerous? 

10.     Tell  of  the  great  sorrow  that  came  to  the  missionary's  life. 
Ji-     Sl^®  ^^^  experience  and  support  while  a  presiding  elder. 
12.     What  other  helpers  joined  them? 

CHAPTER    XXXI. 

1.  V/hat  do  we  as  a  Church  and  nation  owe  the  pioneer? 

2.  What  tribute  does  Doctor  Snyder  pay  these  noble  heroes? 
6.     Do    our    home    missionaries    get    the    credit    due    them    for 

their  heroism   and   sacrifices? 
4.     Does  God  honor  them? 

CHAPTER    XXXII. 

(Studt/  this  chapter  ivell.) 

1.  Show  the  importance  of  home  missions  to  our  country's 
growth  and   worth. 

2.  Show  the  relation  of  home  mission-s  to  the  other  great 
departments  of  the  Church,  like  education,  publishing  interests, 
foreign  missions,  etc. 

8.  What   was  the  Church's  strength  before  any  home  mission 

work  was  done? 

4.  Show  the  strength  of  the  Church  now  in  sections  named. 

5.  What  of  the  Colleges   and  Publishing  House? 

6.  What  has  home  missions  done  for  Kansas? 

7.  What  has  Kansas  done  for  the  Church? 

8.  What  of  the   opportunities  in  the  West? 

9.  What  has  the  Home  Mission  Board  done  since  1905? 

10.  Is  the  way  open  to  organize  new  conferences,  and  should  it 
be  done? 

11.  What  is  said  of  pioneers  and  frontier  life? 

12.  Are  the  openings  in   the   South  hopeful? 

13.  What  is  the  call  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  what 
must   she  do? 

340 


